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comment by Devac
Devac  ·  1029 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: SpinLaunch conducts first test of suborbital accelerator at Spaceport America

    Now... hear me out here... if the throwing arm in the SpinLaunch design is DESIGNED to explode into a cloud of graphite threads immediately upon release of the projectile.... does that burn off the energy left in the system after the projectile exits the building? Could that be a design feature to address some of the issues left behind once the launch happens?

On paper? It would. From conservation of (angular) momentum, it'd be a cloud of slower-moving (spinning) particles colliding with the walls of the chamber. From conservation of energy, it'd dissipate in a plethora of ways, but IMO mostly increase in temperature.

Depending on the amount of energy to dissipate, if it were made from carbon like in your example, you might end up with friction lightning creating stuff like buckyballs, but mostly chain (=C=C=C=) or cyclic (same, but connect beginning with end) allotropes.

Now, if you're asking if this is at all practical or doable...





kleinbl00  ·  1029 days ago  ·  link  ·  

You gotta admit - the idea of amassing the free world supply of carbon nanotubes just so you can blow it up is a KNsys-grade idea.

Devac  ·  1029 days ago  ·  link  ·  

We'll use Tosser to accelerate carbon and make our own nanotubes, dammit! I even know how to get all the carbon we'd need for free: adopt legions of christian children, convince them to act naughty, collect the coal from their stockings. Use said legions as minions.

We may be past Bond, but I can still turn it into Johnny English.

am_Unition  ·  1029 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Just got off the phone with marketing, here are our two strongest slogan options:

    "The name's Dissociate...

    JAMES Dissociate."

or

    "It's Bond...

    MOLECULAR Bond."

I think maybe the second, the first one maybe makes it sound like our company is destructive or bad.

kleinbl00  ·  1029 days ago  ·  link  ·  

hey man Tesla sells flamethrowers

am_Unition  ·  1029 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yup, basically the same company. Watching that gud ol' Texasboi talk a lil' shit brought a tear to my smiling eye.

It's unironically called "Not a Flamethrower" and is a piss-poor flamethrower. Closer to a butane torch, really.

It feels really bad to churn out all this satirical content, only to be vastly, repeatedly outdone by Master Musk.

But I'm busy. Tomorrow I am releasing my self-driving car software update and Donald Trump's healthcare plan.

kleinbl00  ·  1029 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I really wanna see the S-1 on this