Now someone much smarter than I can do the math, but over a long enough distance with a shallow enough incline on a ramp I dont see why it couldnt be done.
The math might mean the scale of the ramp makes the idea completely unrealistic to build. But I dont see why it wouldnt work.
The shallower your incline is, the more air you have to fight through post-launch to get to orbit, during which you’re losing velocity. And to get into low-earth orbit you have to reach 28000 kph (17000 mph) because it’s not so much about going up as it is about going really fast.
So you need to leave the end of the gun going fast enough to lose speed to air resistance and still reach and maintain orbit. I haven’t attempted the math, but it seems like your vehicle would burst into flame going that speed in the atmosphere.
You still haven’t accounted for how an orbital insertion would work. You have to reach orbital speeds in the correct direction which requires a directional burn not possible from the ground.
Re-read the comment. “Physics has entered the chat” Its neither a yes or a no that its possible.
Im sure you could accellerate a person gradually enough over a long enough distance in a sufficient vehicle to launch them into space. Wether its practical or if we have the tech yet isnt “physics”…
Now someone much smarter than I can do the math, but over a long enough distance with a shallow enough incline on a ramp I dont see why it couldnt be done.
The math might mean the scale of the ramp makes the idea completely unrealistic to build. But I dont see why it wouldnt work.
The shallower your incline is, the more air you have to fight through post-launch to get to orbit, during which you’re losing velocity. And to get into low-earth orbit you have to reach 28000 kph (17000 mph) because it’s not so much about going up as it is about going really fast.
So you need to leave the end of the gun going fast enough to lose speed to air resistance and still reach and maintain orbit. I haven’t attempted the math, but it seems like your vehicle would burst into flame going that speed in the atmosphere.
You still haven’t accounted for how an orbital insertion would work. You have to reach orbital speeds in the correct direction which requires a directional burn not possible from the ground.
Ok, so how does the orbital insertion burn work then? Are they rail gunning rocket engines and fuel up there too?
Re-read the comment. “Physics has entered the chat” Its neither a yes or a no that its possible.
Im sure you could accellerate a person gradually enough over a long enough distance in a sufficient vehicle to launch them into space. Wether its practical or if we have the tech yet isnt “physics”…
Re-read the comment. “in space” is not the same as “in a usable orbit”