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From: jlg@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.space,net.columbia
Subject: Re: orbit-60 cents/pound
Message-ID: <16504@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 20-Nov-84 17:54:10 EST
Article-I.D.: lanl.16504
Posted: Tue Nov 20 17:54:10 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 22-Nov-84 06:47:55 EST
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Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
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There were two estimates of the acceleration necessary for an EM launcher
to work: 92 g and 1000 g.  I'm not going to argue which is right since
I can't think of subjecting any object to those forces except raw materials.
To manufacture something which could take that kind of acceleration would
either cost too much or add weight to the object just to strenghthen it.
Sending only raw materials into space would solve this problem (manufacture
what you need in space).  I still don't know what kind of vehicle (to put
the raw materials into) could withstand the forces.  Seems like the vehicle
itself would account for the lions share of the launch weight.