Artificial volcano to launch payloads into space?

2 pointssorenKaram2 comments

Volcanoes have a strong eruptive force that is directional (up and outwards). Could humans replicate this in order to launch payloads into space?

I'm thinking this could be a space elevator.

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Space elevators involve climbing up a 30,000 mile long tether with electric motors, not being fired out of a gun. Volcanic gas eruption velocities are much slower than what it takes to go into orbit. The fastest large-payload HARP shot was 3.6 km/s, but it takes more than 9 km/s to launch to low earth orbit. If we could build a gun barrel out of magic handwavium it might work, but unfortunately we only have steel, titanium and cobalt to work with.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_gun

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-rocket_spacelaunch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verneshot

Thanks for the response & the wikipedia links.

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