4 ms·
This is a very interesting point. Is there a counterargument to this?
by sfblah 5y ago
This is a very interesting point. Is there a counterargument to this?
- onethought 5y agoVacuum optimised rockets require a vacuum. Balloons require atmosphere… so there is a gap where the balloon can’t go higher and the engine isn’t in vacuum yet
- londons_explore 5y agoThin-atmosphere-optimized is a thing, and lets you get most of the benefits.
- imtringued 5y agoCombine balloons with skyhooks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqwpQarrDwk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqwpQarrDwk Edit: According to proprietary imtringued numbers the hydrogen for a balloon capable of lifting 1kg to 50km would be $800 if you do not reuse the hydrogen. The skyhook would accept vehicles at an altitude of 100km so no, keep balloons out of the space launch industry.
- lazide 5y agoRockets use stages partially to solve this problem, also to deal with rocket equation issues. So already a solved problem
- jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago1. Stages 2. Adaptive rocket nozzles are a thing.