Greg Bear's sci-fi epic "Eon" depicts the use of a similar aerodynamic assist for paratroopers storming the interior chamber of a rotating hollowed-out asteroid that was orbiting Earth. The altitude from the axis of rotation to the inner surface was several miles, and the relative ground speed was substantial. The paratroopers ship came through the access portal and flew along the center axis some distance, then spun their vehicle like a centrifuge which ejected the paratroopers outwards from the axis. They used aerodynamic sleds to cope with the turbulence as they approached the inside surface and encountered greater and greater wind speed. All the while the whole asteroid's inner chamber was thick with flak and and other weapons fire as armies of various technological time-periods waged war. Little did they know that as they fought for control of the alien asteroid the tense political situation had triggered a nuclear exhange on Earth...