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Posts:
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Registered:
10/6/09
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Solar System Travel: Via Railgun
Oct 6, 2009 10:14 PM
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The moon could be used as an on-the-spot hub for the resources needed for inter planetary travel. It would be a choice spot for a "grand central station" so to speak, where we can build a several mile long rail gun(s) propelling non-manned flights, due to our human 10G limits, saving fuel costs to the outer planets. Base supplies and structures on those same unmanned flights could be remotely set up for manned colonies, or set it and forget it terraform factories. We really don't have to send humans into outer space nowadays other than to perform delicate tasks robots can't and for true pioneering. The nostalgia of humans on other planets is fun to think of, but lets face it, if open heart surgery can be done from the next room, so can pre-stage extrasolar railway construction. I think we have all the technology discovered to build first then travel. It would only make sense to plan for permanent habitation for where we decide to pioneer. I'm telling you, once commercialism cracks the mach 25 needed to break free of earths gravity, solar/nuke powered rail guns are the way to go for the next step. For instance, in a high earth orbit, one less powerful version, for Human travel to the "Moon station" in turn could then send that same set of passengers to any vector path in the solar system nearly fuel payload free, aside from slowing down.
How I would build it? With highest certainty, money would be the object, until it could be seen as profitable for commercial use. However, I would pitch the first one as a cost savings for NASA/ASA for getting the first equipment to the moon for mass producing the metals, locally gathered, but needed for the construction of our first moon base.
What is a Rail Gun?:
A rail gun in it's simplest form is a pair of conducting rails separated by a distance L and with one rail connected to the positive and one the negative side of a power source supplying voltage V and current I. A conducting projectile bridges the gap L between the rails, completing the electrical circuit. As current I flows through the rails, a magnetic field B is generated with an orientation dictated by the right hand rule and with a magnitude governed by this equation.
B=NuI
* B=Magnetic field strength (Teslas)
* N=Number of turns in solenoid (1 in our case)
* u=1.26x10^-6 (The magnetic permeability of free space,
Henries/Meter)
* I=Current through rails and projectile (Amperes)
The HEO Rail Gun: Like other rail guns currently in use, the principles are the same this invention is using the spacecraft as the projectile, instead of a bullet. However, with a few twists, the first rail gun would be mounted on a spacecraft not too far outside High Earth Orbit. The craft would be the hub for repairs and serve as reverse force propulsion. The rail gun itself, would also need a spiral spin as it delivers its payload to create some artificial gravity for Manned flights.
The MB Rail Gun: For longer journeys, the Moon Base version, would have to be much longer, and have power requirements probably breaking current treaties on earth, to propel faster cargo. Also, by mounting it on a body with sufficient mass, like the moon, the need for expensive fuel and sister technology is greatly reduced. My goal would be 1000 sections 6 meters each in length, and be capable of utilizing 12 million amps by a variable voltage to the width of the projectile at the last section. My hopes are an 8 day or less trip to Mars cycle time.
For Future: As the technology progresses so to will the range of travel as we build Rail Guns on further and further outposts in the Solar System.
* I am still working on the materials used and a prototype, for putting together a budget plan for a 50 year timeline. When I have a prototype, I will post my patent link.
Thank you.
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