Re: Mass Drivers and Cheap Space Access: Limits

From: Spike Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Date: Sun Apr 16 2000 - 18:20:32 MDT


Robert J. Bradbury wrote:

> >From this URL:
> http://helios.physics.uoguelph.ca/summer/scor/articles/scor107.htm
>
> It goes on to discuss how you could engineer methods to allow humans
> to tolerate higher G forces.

Robert Im thinking we could emerse the astronauts for a half a minute
in water during launch, at which time they could take 40 g for 12 seconds
plus about 15 negative g for about another few seconds as they decelerated
out of the atmosphere. The track length would need to be about 29 km
and the velocity left over after atmopheric deceleration would still
amount to ~4 km/sec at which time rockets would need to take
over to accelerate to orbital velocity.

The emersion technique would probably not be comfortable but
I think it would be survivable. spike



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