Naval Rail Guns? Take the left aisle then.

I'd also like to see the technology applied to the space program but I doubt you will see these trypes of guns on naval vessels for a long tim.
 
Rail guns aren't entirely suited to launching many payloads into space... the rapid acceleration destroys the more delicate stuff and the human body could never handle it either. I do recall, however, there was some mention of slowly accelerating the payload but the setup/running costs weren't feasible, particuarly given the relative cheapness of the Russian heavylifters.

Larger structural components are a possibilty... but they'd have to be fairly strong as so not to collapse under their own weight (ampilfied by the G forces)

But they could make a great stationary weapon platform, perhaps defending a coastline against ships.


Cheers,

Eric
 
They have a working prototype - somewhere in a lab in Nevada or one of those Godforsaken places, I think - that fires big oblong projectiles through multiple brick walls and armor plating. Every prototype they made prior to it was destroyed from the force of firing it.

Anybody know the "official" line on particle accelerator weapons? I know the U.S. might have one in Montauk, and I have it on pretty good authority that the South African Apartheid government had one in the middle of the desert that they used to fire at any unidentified airborne objects over the country. Make of that last part what you will.

I can't wait until hundreds of years in the future when they make man-packed versions of railguns. Unfortunately, I'll be dead by then if I don't seek out cryogenic storage or something.
 
Mohrg6sic6 said:
Eric the Viking said:
and the human body could never handle it either.
Click to expand...

Lies all lies! I could handle one in Quake! :P
Click to expand...
Uh... I believe he was referring to potential use of electromagnetic propulsion to launch spaceships. I don't recall any of that in Quake. Right, Eric?
 
Ratty said:
Mohrg6sic6 said:
Eric the Viking said:
and the human body could never handle it either.
Click to expand...

Lies all lies! I could handle one in Quake! :P
Click to expand...
Uh... I believe he was referring to potential use of electromagnetic propulsion to launch spaceships. I don't recall any of that in Quake. Right, Eric?
Click to expand...

Yep... I was refering to the acceleration of launching such craft... fighter pilots blackout around 10 gees, don't they?

But I do recall John Carmack saying once that Quake wasn't real (sorry Mohrg6sic6 ;)) in the sense that the character you controlled could move into full speed in .0001 of a second, fall from large heights with minimal injury and turn 180 degrees in .0001 of a second.

Cheers,

Eric
 
You would probably have the nice experience of having your organs liquified due to the acceleration.

Are there any Navy men out there that could debunk or confirm this crazy document?
Click to expand...

Looks legit to me, if that's what you mean.

http://www.battelle.org

It might just be some marketing spin but I would assume it has a strong basis in fact.

They have a whole load of other toys that they are working on e.g. Custom Polymer/Adhesive Development, Bioprotection and weapons testing etc.

By the way, where do you live in Sydney Eric?
 
Randwick

The water is still nice, even though it is a bit on the cool side at about 16 degrees centigrade. But its the middle of winter here. We can swim in the sea all year round. Go temperate climates!
 
16 degrees C? A bit cool?
That's prolly warmer than the sea off England ever get. Having said that, I couldn't cope with the heat down under. I guess I'm just used to the cool, wet British summers of my youth.

Anyways, talking about rail guns/space launches. It has been suggested that a long rail "gun" oin the moon would be useful for launching longer range space vehicles.
Well, by "suggested" I mean that I once read a sci-fi story about it. :lol:
It would indeed be pretty much useless for launching manned space vehicles out of the Earth's atmosphere though.
 
Big_T_UK said:
16 degrees C? A bit cool?
Click to expand...

It's considered coolish here in Australia... we usually have more moderate winters. But it does make for great overclocking weather. My Barton XP2500 is humming along at 2.1GHz (default 1.83) and it's struggling to get over 46C degrees.


A railgun launcher on the moon seems a fair enough idea... but launching a conventional rocket from the moon would be easier from there in the first place I'd think.


Cheers,

Eric
 
Railguns DO exist.

Just look in my sig :P .


Seriously, this would be so sweet once they get handheld ones.
 
PsychoSniper said:
Railguns DO exist.
Actually, they do. I have one in my basement. That is, assuming that by railgun you mean magnetic linear accelerator? All it is is a bunch of magnets and balls. I got mine, or atleast the parts that make it, from a website.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Killa-Killa said:
I have one in my basement. That is, assuming that by railgun you mean magnetic linear accelerator? All it is is a bunch of magnets and balls. I got mine, or atleast the parts that make it, from a website.
Click to expand...

What are you doing with it? Or shouldn't I ask... ;)


Cheers,

Eric
 
I made one once for a school science project.

The only part I didnt make was a custom orderd circut board, and the power plug that was attached to it, which switched 20 electromagnets on/off in sequence.



It didnt generate that much power, but it could throw small ball bearings good distances.
 
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