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Bill White

Member

Registered: 2001-09-09

Posts: 2,114

Re: Zubrin's hypersonic skyhook - Thoughts?

Today's announcement of a new [http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/sp … 20722.html]XCOR endeavor has gotten me thinking about Zubrin's hypersonic skyhook idea.

Orbit a large inert mass, add a tether, and hook an XCOR craft at trajectory apogee of about 62 miles.

The shock loading would be extreme, to say the least.

Rendevouz may be difficult yet JDAM technology allows "warheards to foreheads" and we will be attempting "foreheads to foreheads" - - a manueverable XCOR style craft attempting to snag a manueverable tether tip as it races by at Mach 25.

Adding a final booster rocket synchronized to fire upon hooking up could reduce the shock loads even if insufficient to achieve orbital velocity by itself.

The XCOR Xerus is intended to offer suborbital flights for $98,000 each. Add a skyhook and putting people or cargo into orbit would be relatively inexpensive.

Maybe this is totaly infeasible but if we can't build this thing, we surely aren't building a space elevator.