New system to slingshot cargo into space - Business Standard

An alternative transportation system to send small payloads and bulk cargo, like water or fuel, into space is being developed by a US company. The Virginia company HyperV Technologies Corporation proposes to slingshot objects off the Earth, rather than using chemical rockets. "Imagine the old-style sling, with a string that you would whirl a payload around and then you'd let go and it'd go flying off," HyperV president and chief scientist Doug Witherspoon said. The system called "Slingatron" uses a spiral-shaped steel track that accelerates a payload with gyrating, hula hoop-like motions,'Discovery News' reported. With around 60 cycles per second and precision timing, a payload travelling along the inside of the spiral will synchronise with the hula hoop-motion and continue accelerating, Witherspoon said. "You can theoretically get velocities that are many, many kilometres per second," Witherspoon said. In order to get into low-Earth orb it, such as where the International Space Station (ISS) flies, an object needs to be moving at about 7.6 kilometres per second. The HyperV intends to use a quarter-pound payload for its demonstration run. The system would not replace traditional chemical rockets. For starters, acceleration at launch would reach thousands the times of Earth's gravitational force - far too high for launching humans. via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFAO97M72YClAxuFVcIyQmjZ0IqgQ&url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/new-system-to-slingshot-cargo-into-space-113073100849_1.html

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