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PJay_A
Guest
<p>QUESTION:</p><p>Let's say we build a tower one mile tall. The Dubai Tower under construction will be 1/2 mile tall when completed, so a mile tall tower is within the realm of probability. Now, let's say we build this tower near the highest point of the Grand Canyon (which I believe is eight miles high). At the bottom of the this location at the Grand Canyon, drill a sloapped tunnel as deep as we can drill down (I believe this would be eight or nine miles down). At the top of the tower, going down a mile to the top of the Grand Canyon, then continuing down eight miles along the sloapping walls of the Grand Canyon to its deepest elevation, and continuing down eight miles through the drilled tunnel, and continuing on an eventual sloaping angle until the path becomes totally flat (not rounded according to the curvature of the earth), continuing underground until the tunnel meets up to a tunnel exit at the horizon point where surface-level is met by earth's curvature, followed by an upwards ramp that ends 90 degrees pointing skyward... That entire path would be enclosed and air-tight, surrounded by electromagnets. A vehicle would fall through the top starting point. Gravity would push it down and the electromagnets would assist in assisting veleocity increase faster than gravity. When it reaches its lowest point underground, the electromagnets would assist in keeping its momemtum as it leaves the tunnel and turns upward. Rockets on the vehicle would keep the vehicle's momentum at exit velocity until LEO is achieved. Since exit velocity had been achieved at ground level without propellent, the amount of fuel needed to maintain that momentum to orbit should be very minimum, thereby drastically reducing cost per pound to get any kind of payload to orbit!</p><p> Doable? </p>