NationStates Jolt Archive

Recently Potty 5 has started a project to build a 77 kilometer long coil gun or mass driver that would be able to fire a 15 ton projectile into space, or orbit.

The project is expected to be done over a period of 10 years and cost one trillion US dollars ($1,000,000,000,000).

One completed it will be used to launch satellites, or equipment into orbit but it will not be able to replace older technology as the mass driver accelerates it cargo to fast for humans.

Currently construction has started on a smaller 1.42 km long mass driver capable of launching a 300 kg projectile into space.

OOC: This is definitely FT right?

Be careful if this turn weaponized some one may hire use to destroy it.....

Black agent council

OOC: This is definitely FT right?

considering it sized and how long it would take to make I am standing late Mt or Pmt.

It is PMT based extrapolations of modern technology.

As a weapon it is very expensive and inefficient. For 1 trillion dollars I could get a lot of ICBMs.

but in a PMT war ICBMs can be shot down fairly easliy. If it could shot at a city it would destroy it.

If it was just to be a weapon then why launch a 15 ton projectile? If fired on a target it would be a WMD so why not just use a much smaller (like 500 kg) projectile with a nuclear warhead?

Also how can a weapon that masses over 300,000 tons that is about 77 km long be aimed at a target? It is really only useful for getting stuff into orbit.

Uhhh....we can shoot ICBM's down fairly easily with current technology.

If it was just to be a weapon then why launch a 15 ton projectile? If fired on a target it would be a WMD so why not just use a much smaller (like 500 kg) projectile with a nuclear warhead?

Also how can a weapon that masses over 300,000 tons that is about 77 km long be aimed at a target? It is really only useful for getting stuff into orbit.


He's got a point here

If it was just to be a weapon then why launch a 15 ton projectile? If fired on a target it would be a WMD so why not just use a much smaller (like 500 kg) projectile with a nuclear warhead?

Also how can a weapon that masses over 300,000 tons that is about 77 km long be aimed at a target? It is really only useful for getting stuff into orbit.

ahhhh because it would look cool as hell.... duh!

77 km long coilgun? May I ask, how many stages? I think that for your means, a railgun may be the best choice, but I could be wrong. Also, one trillion is a LOT of money. I don't think a 77 km long coilgun OR railgun would cost that much. Depending on the materials and how efficient you wanted it to be, it could range from hundreds of millions to tens of billions, but I don't think much past that.

Railguns dont last too long. A coilgun is far better in terms of life, reliability, and ability to vary power. Also the final system will mass at over 2,000,000 tons (the accelerator is only 331,000) most of the weight is the energy storage system. The program cost covers R&D as well as the gun which cost about 1/2 of that. Most people don't use coil guns and railgun as they should be and just think of them as more powerfull guns then a chem/electro-chem gun. Cost and weight is as acurate as one can get w/o actuly designing a real system. And if anything it is too cheap at only $6.22 a kg.

IC: Today the smaller test gun is ready. At 1.42 km long this gun is capable of accelerating a 264mm wide 2m long 300kg projectile to a speed sufficient to put it in orbit around the sun. 8% of the projectile is expected to be dissintergrated as it travels through the atmosphere.

And now here is live footage of the coil gun:
A long tube runs from 1/3 down to the top of Mt Sven. Suddenly a bolt of light shoots from the tube, followed by a powerfull hypersonic boom. And that is it.

(back to the News Man) The projectile will escape orbit with a 104 m/s velocity. On board thrusters and controls will turn the projectile back and crash the projectile into a now off limits area 100 miles from the coast (so that it is not space junk).

77 km long coilgun? May I ask, how many stages? I think that for your means, a railgun may be the best choice, but I could be wrong. Also, one trillion is a LOT of money. I don't think a 77 km long coilgun OR railgun would cost that much. Depending on the materials and how efficient you wanted it to be, it could range from hundreds of millions to tens of billions, but I don't think much past that.

you have to be kidding... only hundreds of millions for a 50 MILE COILGUN...

Let me repeat DMG: Only $1 trillion for a 50 miles coilgun? Dude, you can only buy 4 cheap SDs at that measily amount. For a 50 mile coilgun I think it would be in the neighborhood of over $20 trillion. My friend Pushka had to use $22 trillion to create a battlesuit systems. But a better estimate would be around over $100 trillion. But I can guarentee you the cost will be more than $30 trillion.

...you are all quite aware that Project HARP successfully managed to produce enough muzzle velocity to accomplish this, yes? It wasn't able to completely eliminate the need for a rocket entirely, but only the third stage of the rocket was necessary to get the package into orbit. Three 16-inch naval rifles welded together successfully created the first and second stage of a lightweight payload deployment system during the VIETNAM WAR.

Read up. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP)

Unless you're putting entire space stations into orbit at once, such a magnificently enormous coilgun really wouldn't be necessary.

On the other hand, it would make a fabulous deployment sysem for firing nonconventional warheads at, say, the capital of a country you don't much like?

IC: Brettonian Military Industries would like to examine the final statistics for your useage of this enormous weapon, as we are always looking for new data in our constant sponsorship of electromagnetic weapons over those of the eletrothermal-chemical variety. Good luck on your endeavours!

Potty 5's enormous coil gun? Interesting idea.:)

Expected Tech Data
The final system will be 77km long, mass 331,000 tons (without the 2,331,000 tons of energy storage, and a powerplant to power the system). A 15 ton 1262mm projectile wil be fired. It will aclerate under a force of 27.5 g's up to a velocity of 11.5 km/s (lighter projectiles can be made to go faster if needed). The current projectile uses a carbon heat shield that is 3 tons in mass. 2.6 tons of the shield will be destroyed by friction. We are looking into difrent materials and shapes to reduce this so that we can get a reuseable projectile that can carry up to 10 tons of cargo into orbit, then glide back to Potty 5 with the use of some small thrusters. The system will require 303.45 GigaWatts for 13.2 seconds. The final system will be placed so that the end of the tube is at 12 km elevation. If we can find a way to make the system verticle then this would reduce many problems as at 77km (elevation) friction is reduced greatly.

Today construction has begun on the coil gun. For the next few years labor will blast Mt. Zork, the highest location in Potty 5 (almost 9km above sea level), to allow for the coil gun to rest on it. In addition many other areas will be flatened, the earth will be use to create a ram for the coil gun to rest on. In addition huge steel and concreat supports will make shure that the ramp is stable. The program is expected to run $1,000,000 Million over.

Let me repeat DMG: Only $1 trillion for a 50 miles coilgun? Dude, you can only buy 4 cheap SDs at that measily amount. For a 50 mile coilgun I think it would be in the neighborhood of over $20 trillion. My friend Pushka had to use $22 trillion to create a battlesuit systems. But a better estimate would be around over $100 trillion. But I can guarentee you the cost will be more than $30 trillion.

Actually i spent more then 22 tril, more like 60, you weren't the only one investing

With construction far from complete and $900,000,000,000 spent the coil gun is expected to take another 6 years. In other news, the R&D at AIDI has developed an improved projectile for the 1.42km coil gun. The projectile is composed of a highly classified material that is believed to be carbon based. In addition the projectile has an extremely powerful cooling system. The exterior will be coated with an ablative substance as well. Test firing of the projectile will commence in one week.

With the supports in place the gun looks like it will be 20% longer and powerful then at first stated. The asembly is expected to take 4 rather then 3 more years. The final estamted cost of the gun will be $2.5 trillion (US).

Officals say taht if work continues as the current pace the coil gun will be ready in less then 2 years and just a litle bit over the current 2.5 trillion US$ budget.

“The formally 50 mile, now 60 mile coil gun is the largest project ever undertaken in Potty 5's recent history. The deadline is fast approaching with less then one year left until the coil gun is going to be operational. The power source’s location is undisclosed but is said to be an extension to a preexisting underground complex that is to Potty 5 what NORAD was to the USA. Though this is just speculation as most Potty 5iens known, there is no reason to ever believe what the press says because though the Emperor may not be human he is defiantly not a super intelligent vegetable and/or fruit… Up next is 6 23 with a look at the increasing drug use in Potty 5. This is William Cakeman signing off from Potty 5’s most trust worthy news show 3600 seconds, on Potty 5’s most trust worthy news network P5BC.” the P5BC logo apears and a female voice says "P5BC the most trusted name is news"...

The 13 Monkeys seal is shown with a star arcing across the screen.
"The Potty 5 Government News Network brings you the official news of Potty 5"
Fade to next
"Hello, I am Chance Chan and today we have an official message from the Emperor. After that we will begin our segment on the new economic reforms.
Fade to next
"Dear people of Potty 5, and citizens of the world, I, Emperor Fat Monkey 13, ruler of potty 5, would like to announce the completion of the Mt. Zork Coil Gun. As many of you know Potty 5 has been running a space program since 1973. Though not as large as the Russian or American programs in the beginning Potty 5 now, a little over a half a century later has one of the most amazing space programs that exist. The Mt. Zork Coil Gun is the largest thing ever to occur in space programs to date and will literally and figuratively launch Potty 5 in to the future. The main reasons for the creation of the Mt. Zork Coil Gun are for the creation of an orbital research station and factory, the creation of a permanent manned moon base, as well as manned mission to planets with our solar system..." The emperor stands up from behind the desk and says "People of Potty 5 and the world good night and may tomorrow be a bright future…" he begins to walk towards a hallway as the camera fades to black.

OOC: No new comments?

OOC: No new comments?

[OOC: My gun is bigger. :p But no really, interesting idea and interesting role play concept. A change from RAWR WAR..]

OoC: Thank you. If there are no more new comments this is the end of this thread as new dev in Potty 5's space program will be in more accuratly named thread that will contain all of Potty 5's air/space tech.