4 ms·
You've just described a ballocket. You launch a rocket from a very high altitude balloon. You gain nothing from the height, because you still need to spend ~10
by david-given 11y ago
You've just described a ballocket. You launch a rocket from a very high altitude balloon.
You gain nothing from the height, because you still need to spend ~10km/s getting up to orbital velocity, but you don't have to push your way through the thick lower atmosphere any more. Rockets don't work very well in atmosphere, so you do get fuel savings due to more efficient engines.
I don't know if this has ever been tried for real.
- T-A 11y agoRockoon? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockoon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockoon I particularly like the steampunk vibe of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JP_Aerospace#Airship_to_Orbit_project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JP_Aerospace#Airship_to_Orbit_...
- david-given 11y agoEr. * cough * Yes, rockoon, not ballocket. In my defence I (a) am coming down with a horrible cold, and (b) read The Register...