Could we use a railgun to launch spacecraft?
The system calls for a two-mile- long rail gun that will launch a scramjet, which will then fly to 200,000 feet. The scramjet will then fire a payload into orbit and return to Earth. The process is more complex than a rocket launch, but engineers say it’s also more flexible. Rail guns are coming along too.
Can a railgun fire in space?
According to Space, the electromagnetic railgun peaked at Mach 6, which means six times the speed of sound. If astronauts can station at the moon and mine resources, the said speed is just a fraction “slower” than the escape velocity. Thereafter, the electromagnetic railgun can toss the material into space.
Is it legal to launch something into orbit?
Any American citizen who wants to launch a rocket or other kind of spacecraft into orbit must obtain authorization from the FAA, as would any foreigner who launches within U.S. territory. The FAA regulates the commercial sector’s space activities by requiring parties to obtain launch and re-entry licenses.
Can a satellite be launched from a gun?
Space guns could thus potentially provide a method of non-rocket spacelaunch. However, a space gun has never been successfully used to launch an object into orbit or out of Earth’s gravitational pull.
Can we get to space without rockets?
A space elevator is a proposed type of space transportation system. Its main component is a ribbon-like cable (also called a tether) anchored to the surface and extending into space above the level of geosynchronous orbit. Vehicles can then climb the tether and reach orbit without the use of rocket propulsion.
How fast can a railgun shoot in space?
The stated max velocity for the Naval Railgun System for a 3.8kg projectile was 2.4km/s (mach 7). You need about 7.8 km/s to achieve orbit. That’s 7.8 km/s in the local horizontal. You first have to get out of the atmosphere.
Does railgun have recoil?
Newton’s 3rd Law still applies to railguns. You feel recoil when you fire a projectile using a rifle. Changing the mechanism of how I hurl the projectile doesn’t change the physics. Recoil is still imparted on a railgun and that is what the paper linked by Chris Bast describes.
Is space travel illegal?
All space exploration will be done with good intentions and is equally open to all States that comply with international law. No one nation may claim ownership of outer space or any celestial body. If a nation launches an object into space, they are responsible for any damages that occur internationally.
Can someone own a planet?
No, people cannot legally buy planets, at least for now. There isn’t any way to legally enforce a claim to a planet, and courts have rejected similar claims in the past. International law forbids countries from claiming any celestial body, meaning a nation cannot grant space real estate to its citizens.
Can you shoot a projectile into space?
Fires can’t burn in the oxygen-free vacuum of space, but guns can shoot. Modern ammunition contains its own oxidizer, a chemical that will trigger the explosion of gunpowder, and thus the firing of a bullet, wherever you are in the universe. No atmospheric oxygen required.
Can you fire a rocket in space?
Fire cannot burn without two critical elements: a fuel (the thing that burns) and an oxidizer (which starts the burning process and keeps it going). So, you need fire to propel your rocket, but you don’t have enough oxygen (an oxidizer) in space.