Eugene Leitl wrote:
>
> The very best fuel on the Moon is obviously a linear motor/mass
> driver. One needs to make a ramp (using the best angle, which?)
> Another nice point about a linear mass driver is that in the simplest
> implementation it is just a linear array of identical modules:
The trouble is, they *cannot* be identical; to get even low efficiency the inductance, capacitance, and initial voltage on the caps must vary along the length. Also, the switching speeds are the most critical design driver- solid state relays of the speed and power needed aren't cheap. I can dig up detail information if anyone is really truly interested.
-- Doug Jones, Freelance Rocket Plumber