Hunter wants to operate the gun, the “Quicklauncher,” in the ocean near the equator, where the Earth’s fast rotation will help slingshot objects into space. A floating cannon—dipping 1,600 feet below sea level and steadied by a ballast system—would let operators swivel it for different orbits. Next month, Hunter will test a functional, 10-foot prototype in a water tank. He says a full-size launcher could be ready in seven years, provided the company can round up the $500 million. Despite the upfront cost, Hunter says he has drawn interest from investors because his reusable gun saves so much cash in the long haul. Just don’t ever expect a ride in the thing: The gun produces 5,000 Gs, so it’s only for fuel tanks and ruggedized satellites. “A person shot out of it would probably get compressed to half their size,” Hunter says. “It’d be over real quick.”
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-01/cannon-shooting-supplies-space
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by McJohnny.
Very cool idea. It would be great if it proved practical as anything that lets us get things into space cheaper is a good thing.
Of course, a space elevator would be even better, but failing that...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe9Qm72YeqU
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Driver_1 Gerard K. O'Neill of Princeton University (who was on sabbatical at MIT during the 1976-77 academic year)...was able to achieve an acceleration of around 30 g (300 m/s²).
http://www.viswiki.com/en/Mass_Driver_1 Constructed in 1976 and 1977, Mass Driver 1 was an early demonstration of the concept of the mass driver, a form of electromagnetic launcher
http://ssi.org/the-life-of-gerard-k-oneill/ Life of Gerard K. O’Neill
I laughed audibly when I read that... Maybe it's time for some fresh air.