Well, I’ve always asked myself why can’t we use some kind of train or catapult to help the rockets to save fuel or to go further. Can anyone explain me why?
In: Engineering
The amount of acceleration need to get to orbital velocity requires that the acceleration be accomplished in a reasonably smooth fashion.
There have experiments with artillery launches to orbit but the short violent acceleration just destroys the projectile. A catapult launch to orbit would face the same problem. There’s more.
We are all familiar will dead satellites, or manned spacecraft, burning up on re entry into the atmosphere. The only way to prevent the payload from burning up in the atmosphere *on the way up* would be to build your catapult taller than the atmosphere. Not practical at all.
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