Mass driver

Extracted Attributes

• Applications

  Non-rocket spacelaunch, lunar mining, onboard propulsion, kinetic weapons, atmospheric sounding

• Core Components

  Coils of wire, electromagnets, magnetizable payload holders

• Alternative Name

  Electromagnetic catapult

• Primary Mechanism

  Linear motor acceleration via sequential electromagnetic firing

• Related Infrastructure

  Maglev components and linear induction motors

• Proposed Lunar Launch Velocity

  4 to 8 kilometers per second

Timeline

• Gerard K. O'Neill proposes the use of an electromagnetic mass driver to launch material from the Moon. (Source: ArXiv (2410.09616v1))

  1974-01-01

• The Sixth Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing begins, featuring proposals for mass drivers to be used for atmospheric sounding in Antarctica and space debris removal. (Source: National Space Society (Space Manufacturing 1983))

  1983-05-09

• Research is published regarding the use of mass drivers to launch propellant from the Moon to cislunar orbits to support Mars exploration. (Source: ArXiv (2410.09616v1))

  2024-10-15

Mass driver

A mass driver or electromagnetic catapult is a proposed method of non-rocket spacelaunch which would use a linear motor to accelerate and catapult payloads up to high speeds. Existing and proposed mass drivers use coils of wire energized by electricity to make electromagnets, though a rotary mass driver has also been proposed. Sequential firing of a row of electromagnets accelerates the payload along a path. Although any device used to propel a ballistic payload is technically a mass driver, in this context a mass driver is essentially a coilgun that magnetically accelerates a package consisting of a magnetizable holder containing a payload. Once the payload has been accelerated, the two separate, and the holder is slowed and recycled for another payload. Alternatively, a mass driver may be based on linear induction motors used as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Mass drivers can be used to propel spacecraft in three different ways: A large, ground-based mass driver could launch spacecraft away from Earth, the Moon, or another body. A small mass driver could act as a rocket engine on board a spacecraft, flinging pieces of material into space to propel itself. Another variation would have a massive facility on a moon or asteroid send projectiles to assist a distant craft. Miniaturized mass drivers can also be used as weapons in a similar manner as classic firearms or cannon using chemical combustion. Hybrids between coilguns and railguns such as helical railguns are also possible.

Web Search Results

• Mass driver - Wikipedia

  Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia ## Contents # Mass driver A mass driver or electromagnetic catapult is a proposed method of non-rocket spacelaunch which would use a linear motor to accelerate and catapult payloads "Payload (air and space craft)") up to high speeds. Existing and proposed mass drivers use coils of wire energized by electricity to make electromagnets, though a rotary mass driver has also been proposed. Sequential firing of a row of electromagnets accelerates the payload along a path. [...] Although any device used to propel a ballistic payload is technically a mass driver, in this context a mass driver is essentially a coilgun that magnetically accelerates a package consisting of a magnetizable holder containing a payload. Once the payload has been accelerated, the two separate, and the holder is slowed and recycled for another payload. Alternatively, a mass driver may be based on linear induction motors used as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. [...] A mass driver on Earth would usually be a compromise system. A mass driver would accelerate a payload up to some high speed which would not be enough for orbit. It would then release the payload, which would complete the launch with rockets. This would drastically reduce the amount of velocity needed to be provided by rockets to reach orbit. Well under a tenth of orbital velocity from a small rocket thruster is enough to raise perigee if a design prioritizes minimizing such, but hybrid proposals optionally reduce requirements for the mass driver itself by having a greater portion of delta-v by a rocket burn (or orbital momentum exchange tether). On Earth, a mass-driver design could possibly use well-tested maglev components.

• Space Manufacturing 1983 – NSS

  > Abstract:This paper proposes the development of the mass driver to launch atmospheric sounding probes to study the ozone layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. At least one of the proposed mass drivers is to be installed on Antarctica to study changes occurring in the ozone layer there. The mass driver technology is developed to support the mission to planet Earth. This atmospheric sounding mass driver serves as a basis for the further development of a space-capable mass driver. Demonstration of a Beam-Powered and a Beam-Riding Helicopter. William C. Brown, Microwave Power Transmission Systems. [...] Skip to content Join Renew Donate # Space Manufacturing 1983 Space Manufacturing 5 Princeton Conferences Space Manufacturing 4 Space Manufacturing 1983 Space Manufacturing 1983 Proceedings of the Sixth Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing May 9-12, 1983 Published by the American Astronautical Society as Vol. 53 of Advances in the Astronautical Sciences Princeton Conferences I. Biomedical and Social Sciences II. Space Stations and Habitats III. Manufacturing IV. International/Legal Considerations V. Materials Resources and Processing VI. Accelerators and Asteroids VII. Economics I. TRANSPORTATION AND MATERIALS Proposal for the Development and Application of the Mass Driver. Nickolaus E. Leggett and Judith FieldReston, Independent Consultants. [...] as long as centuries moving in many different directions and velocities. With a velocity of 4 to over 8 kilometers per second they will cause potential hazards to working spacecraft, space stations, satellites, processing facilities, etc. The below paper will outline a workable systems for: (1) Rendezvous with existing space debris and initiate deorbit for vaporization in the earth’s upper atmosphere or shuttle interception. (2) Capture defunct satellites (LEO, GEO, Sun Synchronous, HEO, etc.) as well as radioactive ones for shuttle interception. (3) Utilization as space weapon (with modification). (4) Rendezvous (modification) with material sent into orbit by mass driver and transport to processing facility in higher orbit (increase mission effectiveness). With constant communication

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• Launching mass from the Moon helped by lunar gravity anomalies

  There is a need to get material, especially propellant, into cislunar orbits at a lower cost than launching it from Earth. Human exploration of Moon and Mars requires chemical propellant, especially liquid oxygen (LOX) because it dominates the mass budget relative to the fuel. LOX could be sourced from the Moon by extracting O2 from the regolith (Lomax et al., 2020). There is also an emerging technology to use O2 as an electric propulsion propellant (Andreussi et al., 2017). The separation of oxygen from the regolith leaves a silicon and metal -rich residue that could, with further industrial steps, be processed into structural materials like aluminium and steel. Already 50 years ago, O’Neill (1974) proposed to launch lunar material with an electromagnetic mass driver (coilgun)

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