Solar Thermal Rocket - Solar-thermal For Ground Launch

Solar-thermal For Ground Launch

Solar thermal rockets have been proposed as a system for launching a small personal spacecraft into orbit. The design is based on a high altitude airship which uses its envelope to focus sunlight onto a tube. The propellant, which would likely be ammonia, is then fed through to produce thrust. Possible design flaws include whether the engine could produce enough thrust to overcome drag, and whether the skin of the airship wouldn't fail at hypersonic velocities. This has many similarities to the orbital airship proposed by JP Aerospace.

Read more about this topic:  Solar Thermal Rocket

Famous quotes containing the words ground and/or launch:

    To say that authority, whether secular or religious, supplies no ground for morality is not to deny the obvious fact that it supplies a sanction.
    —A.J. (Alfred Jules)

    Now launch the small ship, now as the body dies
    and life departs, launch out, the fragile soul
    in the fragile ship of courage, the ark of faith
    with its store of food and little cooking pans
    and change of clothes,
    —D.H. (David Herbert)