Linked Questions
10 questions linked to/from Why don't we use catapults to get to space?
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Why aren't rockets launched in movement? [duplicate]
Rockets launched to reach orbit usually start from a stationary position, engines are started and the rocket slowly gain acceleration upwards, eventually reaching orbit.
What I'm thinking is that the ...
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Horizontal space launch from a ramp [duplicate]
Question relates to this topic Horizontal space launch
Question is rewritten, so some details are probably lost.
Here I make a sketch of the launch principle and I want to know, if it could improve ...
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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 ...
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Can gunpowder get you to the moon?
In 'From the Earth to the Moon' (1873) by Jules Verne, A huge cannon is used to send a spaceship to the moon. A lively discussion in chapter IX leads to using 400,000 pounds of fulminating cotton to ...
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Can magnets be used to launch spacecraft?
I assume there is some reason we don't use magnets to launch off Earth.
Are they not strong enough? Isn't magnetic force technically stronger than gravity??
Would either of these work:
A tube tunnel ...
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Could I home-brew my own rocket fuel?
RP-1 is highly refined kerosene. If I bought a supply of commercial-grade kerosene, by what process could I convert it to RP-1, And, while I'm at it, do I have any good choices for non-cryogenic ...
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Could an Earth volcano impart escape velocity on lightweight matter?
When a big volcano erupts like Krakatoa or Mt St Helens does it send steam, smoke, dust, rocks high enough and fast enough to escape Earth?
Could any lightweight matter from a volcano actually get ...
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Could pull from a space elevator be used to assist a rocket launch?
Well, more specifically, using a counterweight like you'd find in a non-space elevator to give the rocket a little acceleration before firing up and spending all that fuel-to-lift-the-fuel-to-lift-the-...
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Why are rockets launched from speed 0 instead of giving them a speed boost with a terrestrial vehicle? [duplicate]
One thing that was very clear when playing Kerbal Space Program is that you need a lot of fuel to launch a rocket. What's worse, the more fuel you add, the heavier the rocket gets, requiring even more ...
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Small Rocket Questions [closed]
I'm interested in space technologies and have basic understanding of rocket flights. When looking at large commercial rocket launches, i noticed that the lift of process from ground takes very long (...
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