Is there any alternative of lauching a shuttle in space besides by rockets?

Question

Why cant we use a cataplut and put little boosters like rockets to send a shuttle in space?

Is there any alternative way of sending a shuttle in space besides by rockets?

Answer 1

The only catapult that might be used is an electromagetic one... commonly referred to as a Mass Driver
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_driver

A Mass Driver might be used for small dense packets but the construction of one large enough to be useful would be quite expensive. You couldn't use one to put humans into orbit, the accelleration would be too much and the containment capsule would be nearly impossible to design to withstand the thermal levels induced by its passage through the atmosphere. However, if you didn't intend on using one as the sole means of achieving orbit, it might be useful as a "first stage" ... definitely a reusable resource, and probably much less expensive to use in the long term. So, say we boost a shuttle to about 1,000 mph with a mass driver and then cut in the main engines... that should reduce the cost to orbit significantly.... the mass driver would need to be built on an angle, of course :)

There are alternative methods of getting into orbit... but all are in the theoretical stage.... our technology isn't quite up to building them, yet :)

One hopeful method is the Space Elevator:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Elevator

That one needs some technological breakthroughs before it can be attempted :)

Once we get into space, there are quite a few good ideas on how to replace rockets... electromagnetic propulsion is a major one:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/electromagnetic-propulsion.htm

For some more distant possibilities, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tether_propulsion

Rotovators and Skyhooks are my two favorites among those listed... check 'em out! :)

Answer 2

To reach orbit, and object must travel at 25 times the speed of sound. Any other means of propulsion besides rocket (or jet engines, whatever) must therefore be capable of making the object reach that speed before said object is released form the accelerating device influence. Mini boosters would only reduce the speed requirement by a few %.
Now, imagine being accelerated to Mach 20 or more in just a few seconds, in a some huge rail gun or catapult. The acceleration would not be survivable, and you'd be going at M 20 at low altituide; and would burn up instantly from the air friction.
So, no, there is no alternative to rocket at this point in time.

Answer 3

There are several alternatives to launching a craft into space, though the current "shuttles" are indeed restricted to chemical rockets.

While some options sound like scifi, you may be surprised to find out just how feasible they all are! These are as follows:

Rail Launchers. Ever heard of Mag-Lev trains? How about a good old rail gun? Picture a long rail curved into the sky at one end and charged with electromagnetic pulses. The vehicle sits on the rail like a projectile, and is accelerated up to high speed using the electromagnetic pulses. By the time the vehicle clears the end of the rail, it is pointed skyward and has enough velocity to achieve orbit by sheer momentum. This is an example of a single stage to orbit option.

Air breathing scramjets. The scramjet is an air breathing jet engine capable of hypersonic speeds - that is, faster than five times the speed of sound. The vehicle is flown at extremely high altitude at extremely high speeds and then can basically cut off the scramjets before the atmosphere thins too much and coast into space. The downside of this is a scramjet cannot operate at subsonic speeds! therefore the vehicle will either need to carry additional jets to get up to speed, or be ferried up by a carrier vehicle. In the case of the former, this means there will be three sets of engines on board: Regular jets for liftoff, scramjets for acceleration, and rockets for space propulsion.

There is also the option of riding piggy-back on another vehicle. The spacecraft is carried high into the atmosphere by another vehicle and is then released. It may then use either a scramjet or a conventional rocket to achieve the necessary speed to break out of the atmosphere.

Scaled Composites used this method to get SpaceShipOne into space, making it the first privately owned and operated manned vehicle in space. SpaceShipOne was dropped at high altitude by the White Knight mothership and then fired its rockets to get into suborbital space.

Looking further into the future, there is also the possibility of space elevators. This is currently too far out of reach for us, but what is necessary is to have a weight - for instance an asteroid - in geostationary orbit. That is, in an orbit such that it never moves from a fixed point above the Earth. If an Asteroid is placed in geostationary orbit above Hawaii, it will always be above Hawaii. A tether must then be attached and sent down to a ground station on Earth.

We already know how to get an asteroid into geostationary orbit, but not how to build a tether strong enough to work! We are however brinking on nanotechnology, which works at the molecular level. In due time, we may be able to build a long enough, more than durable tether and space elevators may yet become reality.

There are other far more exotic methods as well being examined. For instance, recently researchers (at NASA I believe) flew a saucer around a hanger by using a ground based laser to burn fuel on the underside of the saucer, providing lift!

There are many alternatives, and I believe we will see some serious work on a few of them within the next decade.

Answer 4

Magnets are one possibility. Some the superfast trains and roller coasters are propelled by a string of magnets that are activated sequentially. The shuttle could be launched, or at least significantly accelerated by using a magnetic launch track. The track would probably have to be several miles in length, maybe with a steep upward ramp towards the end. Rockets would still be needed, but no where near the size that is currently needed.

Answer 5

Only rockets can send a vehicle into space today. It is possible to use an aeroplane as a first stage to get the spacecraft high up and near space but the final hop needs to be made by rocketpower.

Earth is a gravity and has a relatively dense atmosphere to boot. If something is moving too fast near the surface it will heat up. And if the accelleration is too hard it will burst into flames. So catapults cannot work on earth. On the moon they might. But then again we need to get there first...

Answer 6

There are proposals for using mass drivers (rail guns or coil guns) to place objects including people in LEO (low-earth Orbit) a lauch system capable of putting people in orbit would have to be about 12 miles long with an upward angle greater that 45 degrees less than 90 degrees. The biggest advantage to a system like this is cost. It would cost pennies per pound to put people in orbit instead of hundreds of dollars per pound.

Answer 7

Canadian John Bull worked with his big gun with designs to lauch satellites into space. He also developed his big gun for the military and was murdered by someone for assisting their enemies!

If people are on board it seems the chemical propulsion systems we use today is the only way (currently). However, on a planet or moon with no atmosphere, we could launch with a 'magnetic ramp' especially so if the escape gravity were relatively low.

Answer 8

Not yet but some private companies are closing in on a way to do it, the lure of big money to be made is a strong incentive, it will happen within the next decade is my prediction.

Answer 9

Hmm :/ particular and no. particular because of the fact i'm curious to work out the stars and how planet earth appears like from the moon. No because of the fact i don't choose the plane to explode and that i die....additionally, i don't prefer to stay in area for long sessions of time.

Answer 10

Get inside a car and smoke lots of weed!!!