Ocean Assisted Launch Platforms can be used to replace or shrink the size of first stage propellant tanks. The theory behind them is fairly simple, and the technology at heart fairly basic:
– anchor a long (concrete?) tube with a diameter exceeding the diameter of your spacecraft deep in the ocean.
– seal the bottom of the tube by installing several valves at the bottom of said tube, capable of withstanding the pressure of the ocean at that depth.
– build cylindrical floating platform to slide in the tube, from which the spacecraft can launch.
-put pumps outside the tube capable of expelling water from nearly the full length of the tube.
To launch: tether the spacecraft on top of the platform which is positioned inside the tube. Using inexpensive or green energy, slowly pump the water out of the tube, causing the floating platform holding the spacecraft to sink in the tube. (The deeper the tube, the smaller the rocket will need to be for a given payload size). Once the platform has reached its lowest possible position in the tube, open the valves at the base of the tube. This will cause the platform to accelerate upward, reaching speeds, depending on the depth of the tube, of perhaps 90 mph as it approaches sea level. The rockets are ignited to launch the spacecraft from the platform.
Timing is everything. It should be possible to design the system so the launch platform does not eject from the tube, if desireable.
The energy imparted to the rocket enables significantly smaller fuel tanks.
Issues that need to be dealt with:
-construction and anchoring of a tube that can repeatedly take the pressure changes – concrete and steel?
-security
-sea conditions
There are many variations, but the key concept is to store energy and release it using the incredible pressures of the deep ocean.
-Brian Gridley
Comments are closed.