cheap orbital insertion

--- In spacesettlers@egroups.com, "Ed Minchau"
> The key factor in the development of space is the cost of moving
> people and cargo from the Earth's surface to orbit. I propose
> building a mass driver along the ridge of the Himalayas.
>
> A mass driver consists of a series of solenoids, which move a
charged
> projectile along their length by alternately turning on and off one
> by one.
>
> The mass driver I propose would consist of solenoids 100 m in
> diameter, made of a superconducting material. They would be spaced
> along the mountain range so that they would provide a constant 3g
> acceleration. The projectile would resemble a supersonic airplane,
> gliding from one solenoid to the next. A maglev track could be
used
> to provide the initial velocity required for the airfoil to provide
> sufficient lift to carry the craft from one solenoid to the next.
> The craft would make a series of parabolic glides until it received
> its final boost at the end of the mass driver.
>
> I figure that such a mass driver would have to be about 1500 miles
> long to achieve escape velocity at 3g.
>
> :) ed