"Slingatron" To Hurl Payloads Into Orbit

cylonlover writes "People have been shooting things into space since the 1940s, but in every case this has involved using rockets. This works, but it's incredibly expensive with the cheapest launch costs hovering around $2,000 per pound. This is in part because almost every bit of the rocket is either destroyed or rendered unusable once it has put the payload into orbit. Reusable launch vehicles like the SpaceX Grasshopper offer one way to bring costs down, but another approach is to dump the rockets altogether and hurl payloads into orbit. That's what HyperV Technologies Corp. of Chantilly, Virginia is hoping to achieve with a 'mechanical hypervelocity mass accelerator' called the slingatron."

HyperV?

[mingot]

Are they virtualizing this?

My oh my

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

Be careful if you build one on the moon, though. Those people will get uppity and use it as high ground to gain independence from the democratically-elected governments of Earth.

Hmmm ...

[gstoddart]

So we're going with the Wile E Coyote school of engineering then?

Awesome!!

Might be sure your payload doesn't get any sudden G-forces it's not built for, but it sounds interesting.

Punkin Chunkin

[kmahan]

Wonder how far it can throw a pumpkin?

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/ [punkinchunkin.com]

See? Pumpkin chuckin' is useful.

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

How many people laughed at all the rednecks creating weird contraptions to hurl pumpkins down a harvested field in Discovery channel? Now who is laughing, eh? When space travel is commercialized and you are crammed into the economy class seat of the commuter plane to mars, you may have to thank Bill "1 gallon" Schwarzenhammer, winner of Pumkin Chunkin 2021, who was the first one to hurl a pumpkin all the way to Moon, more known for his ability to gulp down 1 gallon of beer without pausing for breath.

Re:Cargo is expensive

[Jeremi]

Unlimited pudding rations for all ISS crew members!

Re:HyperV?

[NatasRevol]

Nobody uses HyperV for virtualization.

Re:My oh my

[Anonymous Coward]

No, TINSTAAFL. Speak properly, and sit up straight!

Re:Limited cargo use

[tmosley]

Stop anthropomorphizing space. It hates it when you do that.

Re:Cargo is expensive

[meerling]

Soylent Astropudding, just what they need. :(=

Re:Wonder if it can be weaponized.

[flyingfsck]

Yeah, but Intercontinental Trebuchet sounds like a helluvalot of fun...