From Surface to Orbit

This work is dedicated to That, who made senseful everything

The problems of space travel in present days• Economical problems: small number of travels, small number of vehicles,

small series to product, these effect inefficiency and high cost• Technical problem: the current technology is still chemical fuelled rocket

technology, which needs lot of highly explosive fuel, complex and huge multistage rockets, which effect great risks, high costs, expensive background infrastructure and very low energy efficiency.

• The aims: reaching the orbital velocity (7.9 km/s), reaching orbital altitude• Considering the fact that the orbital altitude is only about 100 km far

(relatively close to the Earth), but the orbital velocity is momentous the efficiency of the rocket propulsion (carrying the whole amount of fuel on the vehicle) can be queried.

• Because of this closeness it is worth to use remote propulsion systems.• Because of the low efficiency it is worth to use rather mechanic propulsion.

Solution opportunity: back to the roots

• The acceleration happens on the surface, which means the air drag must be eliminated.

• The greatest element of this propulsion system is a very long tube.• The air is pumped out of the tube, on this way the vehicle simply can be

accelerated in it.• The tube has inner helical and longitudinal chases, which makes possible

the mechanic acceleration.

The new propulsion system

• Tha explanated nappe of the inner surface of the tube.• The helical and the longitudinal chases can be clearly seen, the red

longitudinal chases represents the periodicity• The vehicle accelerates with the helps of fins moving in the longitudinal

chases, while rotating cantilevers moving in the helical chases• In case of constant rev only the changing of the inclination determines the

rate of acceleration• Parabolic inclination characteristic provides constant acceleration.

Helical and longitudinal chases and the rate of the acceleration

• The vehicle itself consists of two main parts, the first is the so called „stator”, which does not rotate, only moves forward. The stabilizing fins can be found on this unit.

• The second part is the so called „rotor”, which rotates and moves forward at the same time. It has 4 cantilevers and they are moving in the helical chases during the acceleration (these provides the acceleration force between the tube and the vehicle).

• The rotation is provided by high powered three-phased asynchronous electric engines by the connection of the „rotor” and the „stator”.

The vehicle itself

• At the end of the acceleration period the speed difference between the vehicle and the wall of the tube can be greater than 8 km/s.

• This means that the fins and the rotating cantilevers can not simply touch the walls of the chases.

• The solution is a special kind of ball bearings: using integrated, high diameter rollers by the fins and by the rotating cantilevers.

• The fins and its rollers are in tangential position, on this way they can stabilize the vehicle against torsion.

• The diamaters of the rollers are 4.25 and 3.2 m, which provides maximum 48000 rpm, which can be well tolerated by using magnetic bearings.

1. problem to solve: friction

• The mechanic acceleration needs purely electric energy• The vehicle itself can not take the necessary amount of it with itself, or it

lose all the advantages of remote propulsion• The energy must be provided from outer source, but because of the friction

traditional current collectors can not be used.• The solution is that using the rollers of the rotating cantilevers as current

collectors. • Thanks to the great diamater there can be used traditional current collectors

by the hubs of the rollers, while they collect the current on their periphery.

2. problem to solve: outer energy supply

• There must be vacuum inside the tube, to be able to efficienctly and safely accelerate the vehicle

• That is why the end of the tube must be closed.• It can be closed with a simple door, in this case the timing is very important

(by the opening). This causes momentous risk.• The real solution is using an elastic material layer (rubber) for sealing.• It is strong enough to resist the pressure difference, but the vehicle can

simply burst through it without damage or remarkable speed decrease.

• On this way we can get a mechanic accelerator, which can accelerate very great mass to the orbital velocity.

3. problem to solve: the end of the tube

• The last problem to solve is the problem of the air drag and friction after the acceleration and before the leaving of the atmosphere.

• This period is about 10-20 minutes long.• There must be used many methods to solve this problem.

• The 1. method to solve this: appropriate geographical location.• It is well known that on high altitude the density and the pressure of the air is

smaller (on the Mt. Everest it is about one third of that on sea level and on 30 km high it is only 1% of that on sea level).

• Localizing the exit point of the acceleration device among the appropriate high mountains, the air drag problem can be radically decreased.

The problem of the air drag

• Using heat shield.• This heat shield is the nose cone of the vehicle.• Because of the orbital velicity is about 25 Mach the half bevel-angle of the

nose-cone can be only 2. On this way the nosecone is longer than all of the other parts of the vehicle.

• No part of the vehicle can hang out of this percussion wave cone.• It must be made of special materials (ceramics) and can contain an ice filled

chamber.

2. method of solving the air drag problem

• Thermal rarefaction of the atmosphere on the trajectory of the space vehicle.• Using the „thermal blooming” effect: the particles of the atmosphere absorb

the energy of the laser beam and gain great speed (temperature).• On this way the atmosphere can be raryfied on the path of the laser beam• Using high power lasers by the exit point of the acceleration device it can

rarefy the atmosphere on the path of the vehicle and on this way they can momentously decrease the rate of the friction.

• These lasers must be continously functioning and their wavelength must be fitted to the spectrum of the N2 molecule.

• Such lasers can be solid state and free electron lasers, their huge mass and size is not a problem in this case (they are located on the ground).

• Using these 3 methods the rate of the air friction can be minimized onto an acceptable rate.

• The last problem is when the vehicle leaves the tube, the outer air pressure suddenly strikes on it. The appropriate solution is using a cabin, which is supported by a pneumatic dashpot system (similarly to big caliber guns).

3. method of solving the air drag problem

• China and India, using the Himalayas• Peru, Argentina and Chile, using the Andes• Canada and the USA, using the Rocky Mountains• Russia, Mongolia and Kazakstan, using the Altai Mountains• European Union, using the Alps• equatorial states of Africa, using Mt. Kenya• Turkey as well, using the Caucasus

The optimal geographical locations.

• Using this propulsion system the energy and cost efficiency of space travel will increase in many orders of magnitude

• It provides a safer way for space travel• Because of the constant acceleration rate almost everyone can use it.• The greatest part of the accelerated mass can be payload• There can be transported in many orders of magnitude greater amount of

goods and greater number of persons to the orbit• It needs only electric energy, there is no need any (explosive) fuel.• After the building of the acceleration device travels can be made very often

(practically in every couple of hours)• The acceleretion device is absolutely reusable

Advantages

Thank you for your attention!