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Question:
One of the major problems with the space program is the plaguiongingeingngeing problem of acceleration. (If there was a way to avoid this problem, would not it help exploration of other galaxies? Ok, just suppose it was possible to create a portable gravity hole., you could project it in front of a spaceship, and have it accelerate bye by "Falling" towards the center. (A=mf (1/2gts (1/2gt squared) ? theriotically you would be able to completely ely nullify acceleration. ... And thus my question. (would it work? P(posted by an inquiring midyend)


Replies:
Actually, we have an awful long way to go in terms of technology just get ourselves of this lil' planet of ours. The energy required to get out of earth's gravity is about the same as a the calories in the same weight of butter - but the only way we have been able to do it so far requires thousands of times more energy, because we are sending up huge hunks of metal along with it (the rockets etc) and the rocket method itself is rather inefficient (you have to lift all that fuel which you are then going to throw out once you get up there). Elevators would work much better, but we do not quite seem to have the materials for them yet... Black holes sure would be fun to play around with if we could get one and not let it get out of control... I do not think your method is likely to work!

Arthur Smith


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