Feedtube Rockets & Other Wacked Out Ideas
Feedtube Rockets
One would have two fuel feed tubes hanging down from orbit to the payload.
The rocket would use fuel as needed to lift the payload, but not be lifting essentially any rocket fuel.
Real problems
1) Feedtubes that can withstand all that vertical fed pressure. [seqenced valves?]
2) Feedtubes that are strong enough to carry the miles of their own & the fuels's weight.
3) Some kind of geosynched orbital body to operate from
Stair Stepped Orbital Bodies
If one has a massive orbital body for a slow & low orbit it wouldn't need to be quite as massive if another massive orbital body obited synchronously with it, outside of it.
One could have a whole stack of them all at the same speed just with varying amounts of vector energy driving them forward in orbit their orbits.
Space Elevator Construction Logistics
More 'pragmatically' [loose use of the term] to facilitate getting a massive object in its correct orbit one will need large amounts of freefall rocket fuel.
Feedtube Rockets
One would have two fuel feed tubes hanging down from orbit to the payload.
The rocket would use fuel as needed to lift the payload, but not be lifting essentially any rocket fuel.
Real problems
1) Feedtubes that can withstand all that vertical fed pressure. [seqenced valves?]
2) Feedtubes that are strong enough to carry the miles of their own & the fuels's weight.
3) Some kind of geosynched orbital body to operate from
Stair Stepped Orbital Bodies
If one has a massive orbital body for a slow & low orbit it wouldn't need to be quite as massive if another massive orbital body obited synchronously with it, outside of it.
One could have a whole stack of them all at the same speed just with varying amounts of vector energy driving them forward in orbit their orbits.
Space Elevator Construction Logistics
More 'pragmatically' [loose use of the term] to facilitate getting a massive object in its correct orbit one will need large amounts of freefall rocket fuel.