I think rail assisted launch is a lot more realistic right now than a space elevator. However, an 80 mile $60 billion tube is too big of a project at this point. A much more feasible approach would be to find a mountain over a mile high with the right angle and build it so the g forces are reasonable. It would also be better to use more proven technologies like a rocket sled or pneumatic system rather than maglev to start off with. You can eliminate the first stage of the rocket if you can get it to about mach 1. About 1/3 of fuel on a rocket is used just to get to mach 1. The goals and risk of this plan are way too high right now. It makes more sense to start small to test the feasibility, then we can start on a megaproject for space flight. On Apr 10, 2012, at 1:42 PM, Jouni Valkonen wrote:
> How about $40/kg cargo into LEO? This tech could have vastly larger capasity > and speed than with Space Elevator. And it is a little bit cheaper, well in > reach of current engineering and does not require exotic nanomaterials that > do not exist in required scale nowhere near in the future if never. > Holiday in the stars: Space train could send four million people a year into > orbit by 2032 > > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2113668/Space-holidays-Space-train-send-million-people-year-orbit-2032.html > > > —Jouni
