Could we launch spaceships from a long horizontal ramp?

[Martin Peasha]

So for a while now I have had an idea for ground to space lift systems. My idea is to build a long electromagnetic launcher for ships underground. No I'm not talking about a tunnel straight towards the center of the Earth or "Down" but level, without taking into consideration the curvature of the earth. So its laser straight from your starting point. So after a certain distance(Depending on how deep you started it) your pointed up or up enough to achieve orbit. So imangine a circle and draw a small line towards the center. Then draw a line 90 from that line either direction and draw it to the outer edge of the circle. Where it meets the circle, it is pointed "up". So thoughts for the uneducated (that's me) please. I know I have not done the idea justice but there you go.

 

[fresh_42]

So for a while now I have had an idea for ground to space lift systems. My idea is to build a long electromagnetic launcher for ships underground. No I'm not talking about a tunnel straight towards the center of the Earth or "Down" but level, without taking into consideration the curvature of the earth. So its laser straight from your starting point. So after a certain distance(Depending on how deep you started it) your pointed up or up enough to achieve orbit. So imangine a circle and draw a small line towards the center. Then draw a line 90 from that line either direction and draw it to the outer edge of the circle. Where it meets the circle, it is pointed "up". So thoughts for the uneducated (that's me) please. I know I have not done the idea justice but there you go.

• I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about, since various conflicting terms occurred: tunnel, lift, bend. So let me just add a few facts. The deepest hole we ever dug is a bit more the 12 km deep, so there is a significant boundary for the depth. To come out again orthogonal to the surface, the tunnel will be really steep V-shaped, 90° won't work. But anyway, which purpose should your tunnel serve? And the deeper you are, the more energy is needed to reach orbit.
• There are already considerations to build a lift system along a type of chord with probably an electromagnetic propulsion, a sort of orbit elevator as in Star Trek Voyager.
• There are also ideas about a horizontal acceleration with a ramp at its end.

So all in all, I cannot see any advantages in your system compared to other launch systems.

 

[Al_]

Check out the Star Tram :http://www.startram.com
Is this the kind of thing you mean?