I am a mechanical engineer working on the system design of a material transport system for space construction "ie. an Earth based mass driver".
Instead of the electromagnetic launcher traditionally proposed I have proposed a rocket sled that traverses the launch rail and collects an oxidizer...
Can any one help me locate information about the interference drag -slip-steam effect around in-line cylinders?
I am trying to evaluate the idea of launching a stream of material pellets through the atmosphere.
Thanks,
Dean
Is there an aerodynamic advantage to launching a stream (series) of small hypervelocity cone-like projectiles (say 1 kg total mass) from Earth surface to Earth orbit vs. one large (1000 kg) mass? Machine gun vs. cannon ball scenario.
The idea is that the initial projectiles will reduce the...
