Hi All

Want Ultra-Low cost access to space? How about $20/kg to LEO? And not much more to the Moon?

Here's some links on the maglev launcher idea, StarTram, from the Plus-Ultra idea mill...

http://www.maglev2000.com/apps/apps-08-b.html

http://www.newworlds.com/startram.html

http://www.spaceagepub.com/pdfs/Powell_2.pdf

...of course Marshall Savage proposed something similar with his maglev-laser launch BiFrost Bridge, but his design would've squished passengers with a 255 gee curve in the tube because it was climbing up the side of Kilimanjaro.

Space-elevators are, in my opinion, a somewhat better option because there are no hyper-kinetic projectiles involved - but if SEs don't pan-out at least there's another option aside from rockets.

For circularisation and Earth-return, rockets would still be needed on the StarTram modules as well as either pop-out wings strong enough for re-entry or an advanced biconic aeroshell, plus descent rockets. Would be a tricky design task.

Adam

PS
For full-scale space development this is what is needed to get off Earth. I personally think we need to seriously start pitching space as the next growth region for the human race - else we'll end up with a steady-state totalitarian State on Earth. Now is the time for serious space-infrastructure plans to get a good going over. No more half-arsed stations and shuttles - moon-bases and NEO factories, space-elevators and StarTrams are what's needed. Mars should be a colonisation target NOT a science-stunt.