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Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

Posted July 29, 2013 11:54 AM

From Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine:

People have been shooting things into space since the 1940s, but in every case this has involved using rockets. This works, but it's incredibly expensive with the cheapest launch costs hovering around US$2,000 per pound. This is in part because almost every bit of the rocket is either destroyed or rendered unusable once it has put the payload into orbit. Reusable launch vehicles like the SpaceX Grasshopper offer one way to bring costs down, but another approach is to dump the rockets altogether and hurl payloads into orbit. That's what HyperV Technologies Corp. of Chantilly, Virginia is hoping to achieve with a "mechanical hypervelocity mass accelerator" called the slingatron.

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#1

Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/29/2013 3:37 PM

How about calling it "David"?

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#2
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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/29/2013 3:43 PM

If they did, DAVID would have to be an acronym of something.

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#3
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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/29/2013 4:57 PM

Dangerously Assuming Velocity Induces Distance

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#10
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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 10:42 AM

Dangerous Aerial Velocity Inducing Device.

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#11
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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 2:51 PM

Good one. I can get behind that ...

No, no, I can see fine from way back here..... You go ahead. He isn't so big. In fact he looks really tiny from here. Go ahead. You can take him.

Oh, wait, let me get my running shoes on and get turned around here...

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#12
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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 3:05 PM

Device for Automatic Variable Insertive Departure.

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#4
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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/29/2013 9:25 PM

How about the vomit comet?

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#5

Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 12:51 AM

I used to be involved in packaging electronics and antenna arrays for nuclear warheads that were fired from 105MM cannons.

And 40mm rapid fire, smart cannon ammunition.

Bofors 40 mm gun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not sure this will work for anything but an iron ball.

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#6

Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 7:33 AM

The article contains the worst description of the operation of a cyclotron I've ever read.

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#7
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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 9:41 AM

That must be a really interesting pastime, reading descriptions of the operation of cyclotrons <yawn>.

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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 10:22 AM

Think I've described the highlights of entertainment in Reading elsewhere!

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07/30/2013 10:34 AM
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#13

Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 4:17 PM

"The SHOT PUT" cannon.

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Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

07/30/2013 7:03 PM

Hammer throw, surely:

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#15

Re: Slingatron to Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

08/02/2013 4:36 PM

The first comment below the story is what I was thinking while reading it. Put it on a mountain with the open end as high up as you can get it (lower air pressure). Use a rail gun / magnetic levitation system to shoot it. Make it as long as you want to reduce acceleration forces.

Drew K

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