Questions tagged [launch-system]
Any system that launches objects into space, by traditional rockets, reusable craft, or other means, such as mass drivers, cannons, tethers, launch loops, sling launchers, and so on.
16 questions
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1answer
196views
How does Gen 1 StarTram manage to overcome atmospheric drag at the 4-8 km altitude?
I'm reading about StarTram, and if I understand correctly, the idea of the Generation 1 design is to have a vacuum tube under a mountain slope, exiting into the atmosphere at the altitude of 4 to 8 km....
- 277
-1votes
2answers
478views
What happened to the Atlantis Project?
I recently saw Isaac Arthur video part of the upward bound serious about tether rings. There he mentioned a project known as the Atlantis project which is trying to get a tethered ring built in real ...
- 6,933
2votes
1answer
357views
Future Plasma-Scramjet engines: If/how they could be used in the launching of spacecraft
Recently I took a look at this paper: “Electrically Driven Supersonic Combustion”, Energies 2018, 11, 1733; doi:10.3390/en11071733 https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/7/1733 It made me think about ...
1vote
3answers
369views
launch rocket like bullet from steam/air rifle?
I've included an image depicting how exhaust energy from a rocket launch can be recouped by turning it into a large scale pressure cooker by the use of some kind of platform=sabot (thanks @...
- 111
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1answer
225views
Would mass drivers be able to transport base material on the moon more efficiently than drones?
I am a hobbyist working on a climate change adaptation idea that is a variation of orbital sun shades. It would project soil/material from the moon to provide targeted shading for whatever part of ...
- 101
6votes
1answer
1kviews
Is a Lofstrom loop realistic
Is a Lofstrom loop (also known as launch loop) realistic? The general idea behind a Lofstrom loop is a large structure intended for easier access to space, held up by active support (think rotating ...
- 215
3votes
1answer
137views
At which stage of rocket development does systems engineering become critical/useful? [closed]
Rockets are complicated system and the interaction of the sub-systems are even more complicated. But different subsystems tend to be developed parallels without much interaction but does so when ...
- 4,499
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2answers
546views
Galilean cannon
Do you think that Galilean Cannon can be somehow useful in rocket industry during space exploration, example to launch rocket from the Earth or from the orbit to far space? The mass of ball might be ...
- 23
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35views
Spacex rocket supporting mechanism on the launch pad [duplicate]
From the video on youtube, it was not clear that how Spacex is supporting their rockets on launch pad. What is the supporting mechanism they are using?
- 2,254
3votes
1answer
875views
Launch pad design considerations
What are the things to be considered while designing a launch pad? What are the subsystems of launch pad design? (Please provide briefly what needs to be done in each of the subsystem to do the ...
- 2,254
1vote
1answer
349views
Could a sounding rocket or a space gun payload at apogee be put into orbit with a rocket impulse from there?
Consider a sounding rocket that launches its payload to several hundreds of kilometers of altitude, straight up. Imagine that this payload at apogee then points itself accurately and has a propulsion ...
- 27.1k
6votes
1answer
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Why are some rockets orange?
After many successful launches with the Delta II, ULA made the Delta IV rocket orange. What's the reason for this strange color change? Also the Atlas V's first stage is orange, is there any ...
- 4,305
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187views
What factors prohibit building a space cannon to launch raw materials? [duplicate]
I am envisioning a magnetic cannon to launch materials directly from Earth's surface to geosynchronous equatorial orbit. The parameters I have in mind are a near vacuum launch tube, about 10 km in ...
1vote
1answer
1kviews
Is it possible to put a satellite into geostationary orbit using a weather balloon? [duplicate]
I was wondering about the following situation: First, you send up a balloon with a satellite with some thrusters built-in. As soon as the balloon reaches the geostationary height, it deploys from the ...
user10514
6votes
1answer
512views
What payloads and launch speeds could a sling launcher get using modern materials on the Moon?
The only reference paper I have found on this subject is this paper by Landis, which is a great introduction to sling launchers - but the concept has been around for some time and there must be other ...
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