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This Company Built a Gigantic Centrifuge to Fling Rockets Into Space
Popular Mechanics ^ | 01/30/2020 | Courtney Linder

Posted on 01/30/2020 6:09:21 PM PST by aimhigh

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To: moovova
Ooh! That hurt! Have you ever been hit by a high speed water balloon? It feels like a rock, I hear. I saw a guy got hit on the upper leg and he was hurting and his leg was really swelled. Probably went through some nice colors the next week.

Another story.

https://mmrjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40779-019-0210-0

41 posted on 01/30/2020 6:55:20 PM PST by Right Wing Assault (Kill-googl,TWTR,FCBK,NYT,WaPo,Hwd,CNN,NFL,BLM,CAIR,Antfa,SPLC,ESPN,NPR,NBA,ARP)
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To: aimhigh
5,000 mph...

The neighbors, live stock and wildlife will endure constant sonic booms for almost an hour. Longer for the centrifuge to wind down.

42 posted on 01/30/2020 6:55:32 PM PST by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be take countryn that's fore sure)
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To: Bryan24
"What is that, 200-300 Gs?..."

Actually, it is 10,000 Gs. There is no way a standard rocket would survive that stress.

43 posted on 01/30/2020 6:57:46 PM PST by Henchster (Free Republic - the BEST site on the web!)
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To: TChad

How do they balance the spinning mechanism at those
high RPMs once the rocket is released.

Just don’t see this as workable.


44 posted on 01/30/2020 6:58:05 PM PST by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: aimhigh

I just noticed this was published in Popular Mechanics. Fuggittaboutit!


45 posted on 01/30/2020 7:14:36 PM PST by Tucker39 ("It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." George Washington)
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To: R0CK3T

Shiff’s head looks like it experienced 1000 g’s.


46 posted on 01/30/2020 7:21:18 PM PST by HighSierra5
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To: aimhigh

What happens when the rocket barfs all over itself during the spin-up?


47 posted on 01/30/2020 7:22:49 PM PST by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Still bitterly clinging to rational thought despite its unfashionability)
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To: aimhigh

I think a better idea is an orbiting spacecraft recycling plant. Get a system that concentrates the power of the Sun to melt down parts of disassembled spacecraft. Some things are probably reusable. Use robots as much as possible. They don’t need as much support equipment to function, and don’t waste time looking at the internet or arguing about politics.


48 posted on 01/30/2020 7:31:51 PM PST by Zuriel (Acts 2:38,39....Do you believe it?)
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To: moovova

Like a fun game of “catch” - with Lawn Darts!


49 posted on 01/30/2020 7:49:28 PM PST by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: Right Wing Assault

Holy cow. At least he was returned to flight status.


50 posted on 01/30/2020 7:51:40 PM PST by moovova
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To: EEGator

Yeah...that was bad. I’m thinking broken facial bones.


51 posted on 01/30/2020 7:52:56 PM PST by moovova
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To: American in Israel

By my calculations, a centrifuge the size of a football field moving at 5000mph would produce 5,576Gs.

There’s something in the description that can’t be right. Is there any construction material that could withstand that? It would have 233 rotations per minute. Four rotations per second. Something just can’t be translated right here.


52 posted on 01/30/2020 7:55:58 PM PST by Bogey78O (So far so good.)
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To: eyeamok

If you could aim this it would be one hell of a way to lob large tungsten balls halfway around the world at a speed that would produce substantial kinetic damage


53 posted on 01/30/2020 7:56:28 PM PST by Manuel OKelley
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To: TChad

We fired payloads with electronics into suborbital ballistic trajectories into space, in the 1960s with extreme cannon. There were a lot of Gs involved.


54 posted on 01/30/2020 8:03:54 PM PST by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: aimhigh

The Lockeed SR-71 Blackbird flew around 2,200 mph and air friction heating of surfaces was a huge problem. How, exactly, is this rocket going to spin around in circles for about an hour until its speed eventually exceeds 5,000 miles per hour and not melt or fall apart from the heat?


55 posted on 01/30/2020 8:14:20 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: tet68
How do they balance the spinning mechanism at those high RPMs once the rocket is released.

They might be able to release the counterbalance at the same instant that the rocket is released. That would mean two exit ports, one for the rocket and one for the counterbalance. I don't know how they would handle the tremendous momentum of the counterbalance. Maybe use a water-containing cylinder that would break up when it hit the ground?

56 posted on 01/30/2020 8:17:25 PM PST by TChad (The MSM, having nuked its own credibility, is now bombing the rubble.)
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To: Brilliant

The ‘Plumbbob’ nuclear launched manhole cover?


57 posted on 01/30/2020 8:20:56 PM PST by Ozark Tom
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To: marktwain
There were a lot of Gs involved.

Interesting, thanks. Maybe it's not a serious problem.

58 posted on 01/30/2020 8:22:24 PM PST by TChad (The MSM, having nuked its own credibility, is now bombing the rubble.)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
How, exactly, is this rocket going to spin around in circles for about an hour until its speed eventually exceeds 5,000 miles per hour and not melt or fall apart from the heat?

It spins in a near-vacuum.

59 posted on 01/30/2020 8:25:32 PM PST by TChad (The MSM, having nuked its own credibility, is now bombing the rubble.)
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To: aimhigh

A bowling ball in a washing machine comes to mind


60 posted on 01/30/2020 8:35:22 PM PST by texas_mrs
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