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Abstract: The Hypersonic Airplane Space Tether Orbital Launch (HASTOL) System is an efficient approach to transportation to orbit. A hypersonic airplane delivers the payload to the tip of a rotating tether at speeds well below orbital speed. The tether transfers momentum to the payload, releasing it into a desired orbit. The paper describes the concept, design efforts, a rendezvous and capture simulation, and prospects for commercial launch.
Introduction: Tether analysis and orbital experiments have shown the potential for tethers in orbit. Recent work in the MMOSTT study has led to the design of a tether system for transfer of payloads from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). The HASTOL concept represents a growth option for tether-assisted orbital transportation that increases the importance of the tether-assist and reduces the cost of the launch vehicle.
-pdf.aiaa.org... (First page only)
Originally posted by hexagramfifty
I think people want to believe that this is the same Space Command that flies starships within and possibly beyond the solar system. That they send astronauts to bases on the moon and mars and perhaps enlist beings from other planets.
When all this only points to everyone involved in launching the latest spy satellites or laser or kinetic or railgun satellites. Pretty boring.
Originally posted by hexagramfifty
I think people want to believe that this is the same Space Command that flies starships within and possibly beyond the solar system. That they send astronauts to bases on the moon and mars and perhaps enlist beings from other planets.
When all this only points to everyone involved in launching the latest spy satellites or laser or kinetic or railgun satellites. Pretty boring.
Originally posted by SpartanKingLeonidas
zorgon, you are onto something, that's for sure.
Unfortuanately, you've only got the tip of the iceberg here with this, it goes a lot further.
Are you ready to delve into the rabbit hole?
I think you should ask a Moderator to move this thread to Military/Government Projects.
For decades, scientists have been slowly working on a laser that never runs out of shots — and can be "tuned" to blast through the air, at just the right wavelength.
For most of that time, all they could get was a laser at lightbulb-strength. But in 2004, researchers at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility finally managed to assemble a "Free Electron Laser," or FEL, that could generate 10,000 watts of power. Now, the Navy has started an effort to design and build a new FEL, 10 times as strong.
That would bring the laser up to 100 kilowatts — what’s considered the minimum threshold for weapons-grade. But it would also be just a stepping stone, on the way to an energy weapon as powerful as any produced.
-www.wired.com...
Point of Contact (U):
(U) U.S. Space Command, USSPACECOM, Open Phone: (719) 554-6889.
(U) Maj Mike LaPointe, NSSA, Open Phone: (703) 325-6422, DSN 221-6422.
(U) National Security Space Road Map Team, NSSA, Open Phone: (703)808-6040, DSN 898-6040.
Originally posted by LSWONE
I know...I know...Nasa would be more careful and that is all just my imagination.
Originally posted by kinda kurious
You are the reason I have recently formed many conclusions regarding moon, space military etc. which I threaded recently.
Only to humbly add another germane link:
www.fas.org...
Originally posted by Eurisko2012
Well, yeah. That sounds good BUT now we are talking "line of sight".
Due to the curvature of the Earth you will need to get your Navy destroyer
up out of the water. I guess you will need a Gravity Wave Caterpillar
Drive to do that.