4 ms·
Related question: Couldn't we create some sort of rocket elevator with huge and very high balloons?
by jcfrei 9y ago
Related question: Couldn't we create some sort of rocket elevator with huge and very high balloons?
- monk_e_boy 9y agoHere are some interesting ideas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-rocket_spacelaunch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-rocket_spacelaunch
- mLuby 9y agoYeah it's called a rockoon! https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Rockoon https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Rockoon You get the benefit of altitude, but not of horizontal velocity.
- adrianmacneil 9y agohttps://what-if.xkcd.com/58/ https://what-if.xkcd.com/58/
- Symmetry 9y agoThe point isn't to get higher up, the point is to get out of the damn atmosphere so you can use wider bells, lower chamber pressure, and lighter weight tankage.
- Symmetry 9y agoThat's currently impractical with large rockets but there's one smallsat launcher which looks like it's making a serious bid to launch that way. http://www.zero2infinity.space/bloostar/ http://www.zero2infinity.space/bloostar/ The low pressure lets them get away with toroidal tanks, pressure fed booster engines, and a relatively large faring. Or at least that's the plan, they haven't launched anything close to orbital class yet.