Re: Guerilla Internet Service Providers (fwd)

[stevenw@best.com (Steven Weller)]

>As I understand the physics, the whole process could be made FAR FAR FAR
>more efficient if the rocket was boosted to about 40000 feet with a subsonic
>airplane, a' la' X-15 and such.  It's above 75% of the earth's atmosphere
>(dramatically reduced drag), is already going 600 mph in the correct
>direction, and is 8 miles closer to the  ultimate goal 250 miles up).  This
>might not sound like much of an advantage, but if you've ever worked out the
>mathematics of the Saturn V (or space shuttle, etc), the VAST majority of
>the fuel was used up in the first 20,000 feet, maybe even the first 5000
>feet.  It would be even better if the first stage could be an air-breathing
>supersonic ramjet, but that's not my field of expertise.

Orbital Sciences Corp in Virginia do exactly that, but with a B52 and a 60
foot long rocket. They launch relatively small payloads for relatively
cheap and have done it successfully on many occasions.


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Steven Weller                      |  "The Internet, of course, is more
                                   |  than just a place to find pictures
                                   |  of people having sex with dogs."
stevenw@best.com                   |       -- Time Magazine, 3 July 1995