The Mass Driver Project

> This project has two purposes:
>
> 1) Evaluate the effectiveness of open source principles to develop
a
> feasible physical system design. As the project proceeds new
> methods or software tools may be introduced to make the
> collaboration process easier.

Take a look at Mitchell's site:
http://www.innertransit.org/common/index.php

> 3. A 'catcher' satellite, located in geo-synchronous orbit,
> captures the material pellets. This satellite uses the material
> pellets or distributes to other satellites.

You didn't specify a location for the mass-driver but I recall from
your literature that there was a reference to the South Pole.

How will your payloads navigate through the satellite traffic of Low
Earth Orbit and Mid Earth Orbit?

Your payloads will have a lot of kinetic energy in the LEO region
and depending on the mass sriver location you'll probably have a
varying orbital path to the mass catcher at GEO. Even if you launch
from the equator you're still left with HUGE impact potential. How
will you mitigate against this liability.

This could be a show stopper.

> *The velocity difference between the orbiting 'catcher' satellite
> and the material pellet will have to be minimized to simplify
> the 'catcher' satellite design.

How will you stabilize the mass catcher as it absorbs all of the KE
of the incoming payloads?

> These are the big boxes that will be defined as the project
> proceeds.

TangoMan