[FlamingCobra]

I know the title of this thread is "Non-Rocket Spacelaunch," but we're going to talk about the space elevator before we do anything else.

Right now, there are three possible materials we could make a tether with:

• Diamond
• Carbon Nanotubes
• Graphene

IMHO, all of them would be terribly hard to produce on such a large scale. Especially graphene, since it is one layer of atoms thin.


I've conversed with this british guy who started the space colonization wiki and he came up with this idea:

Our current technologies are unable to provide materials that would be strong enough to build a space elevator on Earth, the gravity here is just too strong, though carbon nanotubes have proved strong enough to fullfil the theoretical requirements. But imagine what happens when you have two (or more) bar magnets. If you place the two "north" poles of the bar magnets together, they try to repel each other. If we made a space elevator piecemeal, using alternately repelling bar magnet principles, would some of the weight of our space elevator be taken on by the electromagnetic field, meaning that we could actually build a space elevator with the materials and technologies we currently have? We could power these magnets using space solar power attached to the end of our elevator.

I don't know if this would work. It just seems too easy. And, if it would, I feel like the idea would have already been thought up and it would already be on wikipedia and.... otherwise discussed.

Um... yeah.... so..... what do you guys think?

[Black Wolf]

At current tech, we can't build a Space Elevator.

We can, however, build a Skyramp, which is where I personally think we should be focussing our efforts for Reusable Launch.

[karajorma]

Um... yeah.... so..... what do you guys think?

I think you missed your calling. You should be out in the desert chasing a large flightless bird.

[Herra Tohtori]

No. It would not work.

I'm sorry for not giving an elaborate explosion but I'm laughing too hard

[StarSlayer]

One of these days Alice...one of these days, bam, zoom, straight to the moon!

[FlamingCobra]

I suppose we can't expect that to work.

He has a degree in psychology


this is what I came up with:

Regular, every day rockets are used to blast material and parts and stuff from different countries into space to assemble a space platform in very low Earth orbit (much lower than the ISS). Because it is in such a low orbit, it will lose altitude very quickly. That's where VASIMR thrusters come in. They should already be equipped on the ISS by the time this project begins. VASIMR thrusters will reduce the need to keep blasting fuel into space so the platform can stay in orbit. As long as the platform is close enough to the Earth, it should be able to siphon hydrogen atoms off of the upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere and use it in the VASIMR thrusters.

To get power to the platform, the ISS will be put to good use. Power collected by the ISS will be beamed to the platform via microwaves. So basically, now there is a reason to keep that hunk of junk up there besides for research.

Attached to the platform will be an every day, run-of-the-mill, conventional, made-with-today's-technology crane. Hooked to the crane will be a box with a door.

Hot-helium blimps or zeppelins carry cargo from the ground to way way way up in the atmosphere to within the crane's reach. Then, the blimps or zeppelins (depending on how much cargo is being carried) unload their cargo into the box. The crane then hauls the box back up out of the Earth's atmosphere and into space. Then, the cargo is used for whatever purpose. Assemble something right there on the platform, or sling it to the moon with a mass driver, or whatever.

So, except for the hot-helium blimp part, this could be done with today's technology. But it shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to heat the helium inside a blimp without the helium escaping.


So would that work?

At current tech, we can't build a Space Elevator.

We can, however, build a Skyramp, which is where I personally think we should be focussing our efforts for Reusable Launch.

At our current tech level can we build a mass driver/startram?

[TwentyPercentCooler]

One of these days Alice...one of these days, bam, zoom, straight to the moon!

I lol'ed. Excellent reference.

OT: Honestly, the first thing that we need, as a species, is a goal. Regardless of how we get there, we need to decide why we want to go back to the moon. I believe we should go there to exploit resources and establish the presence of the aerospace industry as a stepping-stone for our push to colonize and research the rest of our solar system. Other people might have different goals.

As for a space elevator: no. Just...no, not right now. We're going to have to dedicate willpower and a lot of funding to R&D if we want to get off this rock.

[Polpolion]

Now you know!

[FlamingCobra]

Stephen Hawking says we have only 100 more years to get off this rock or we're ****ed.

Go back to the moon for helium-3.

[Nuke]

At current tech, we can't build a Space Elevator.

We can, however, build a Skyramp, which is where I personally think we should be focussing our efforts for Reusable Launch.

after reading some of that sight im actually kinda liking this kinda launch. also there is also the lofstrom loop, which looks a little far fetched but might work.

[Black Wolf]

At current tech, we can't build a Space Elevator.

We can, however, build a Skyramp, which is where I personally think we should be focussing our efforts for Reusable Launch.

At our current tech level can we build a mass driver/startram?

Don't need one, read the site. The initial thrust could be provided by jet turbines.

[Eishtmo]

Two words:

Space Cannon.

[TwentyPercentCooler]

Stephen Hawking says we have only 100 more years to get off this rock or we're ****ed.

Go back to the moon for helium-3.

Tsiolkovsky said, "The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever. "

[FlamingCobra]

Two words:

Space Cannon.

The G-forces would kill humans.

[Dragon]

Indeed, but it'd work for cargo that doesn't need delicate handling (which means everything you'd trust Polish Mail with  ).

[FlamingCobra]

I... I don't understand.

[Dragon]

Polish Mail has a reputation of not threating packages too well, "Fragile" designation or not. Space Cannon would be a great cargo delivery system when G-forces are not an issue (in case of though cargo like building materials). The joke was about that if something is though enough to be sent via Polish Mail, it's though enough to be launched from a Space Cannon.

[FlamingCobra]

Oh...


They taught us next to nothing about Europe in pretty much all my social studies classes.

[Dragon]

I wanted to put U.S. Mail there (it has similar reputation, from what I've heard), but then I remembered I'm from Poland. 

[FlamingCobra]

ANYWAY...... the title of the thread is non-rocket spacelaunch.

skyramp involves rockets.