3 ms·
Run it in a tunnel (cut and cover to reduce costs) with a reduced atmospheric pressure that goes up the side of an equatorial mountain. Mt. Kenya is the best p
by evgen 7y ago
Run it in a tunnel (cut and cover to reduce costs) with a reduced atmospheric pressure that goes up the side of an equatorial mountain. Mt. Kenya is the best prospect from what I remember the last time I looked at this. It is just south of the equator so you get max angular momentum from the spin of the earth, it is about 5km above sea level so you are at half the atmospheric pressure as sea level, and it is relatively close to a downrange ocean in case the launch does not go as planned.
- swagasaurus-rex 7y agoThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein speaks about this. Rebels on the moon list it as a demand from the Earthside governments to build a mass driver to lower costs of shipping and make moonside life more equitable. They even list a couple of ideal locations including I believe Kenya.
- loeg 7y agoThe tunnel can't just be cut and cover, because you can't take sharp turns of any kind and there's no straight-line gradient up a mountain. Yes, a termination at a high equatorial peak helps, but there's still a lot of air there that you're immediately buffeted by as soon as you leave the tunnel.