Naval Railgun prototype undergoes first tests...

[Motown_Johnny]

8. Lets have some fun with this

Last edited Thu Mar 1, 2012, 12:01 AM - Edit history (1)

Earth's escape velocity is ~25,300 mph. That 32 megajoule weapon can fire a one ton projectile at 3,200 mph. So, half a ton at 6,400 and a quarter ton at 12,800 and an eighth of a ton at 25,600 mph.


That means that the 32 megajoule gun could launch something that weighs over 250 lb into orbit. Not very useful for anything living or delicate, since the G forces from the launch would be enormous, but for small payloads this might be an actual start. It might even be a way to help resupply the space station so you wouldn't need heavy lift rockets for supplies and tools. If they can increase the strength of the gun in later models then we might be launching 1 ton at a time without the use of chemical propellants in the near future.

See... Fun!