Donald Qualls wrote:
> Well, in fact, it should be possible for a pseudo-ballistic surface
> transport to acheive this kind of point to point performance, but that's a
> much more expensive system to create than a rocket (though it's likely
> cheaper to operate once the development cost is amortized). One form of
> this kind of transport would be an evacuated tube in which passenger and
> cargo capsules are propelled by hydrogen/oxygen combustion in the tube;
> these can significantly exceed orbital speed over continental distances
> without exceeding 3G startup or braking accelerations.
>
> No, I don't think I'll be able to buy a ticket on one in my lifetime, and
> they can't take me to the Moon in any case, but "only attainable by rocket"
> is a canard even for the tighter 20 minute figure over 3000 km.
I'd say "currently attainable" - evacuated transcontinental tube travel
is MUCH farther off than SSSO (single stage sub orbital) flight in my
opinion. There are far greater engineering challenges and far higher
development costs. Absent someone finding such a tube left by some
prior advanced civilization we're not yet aware of, I'd say anyone
looking to this route would not be impressed or inspired by the paulty
amount of money offered for completing the trip. Same goes for zero
point energy, matter transmission and several other similar
interesting but technically unachievable modes of transportation.
This is not to say I wouldn't mind having them around - just that I
don't think they are achievable in the timeframe of the F.A.S.T. award
office.
Michael
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Wallis KF6SPF (408) 396-9037 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Michael Wallis:
"The only limits to human accomplishment are imagination and
ingenuity."
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