Now that we’ve examined rocket theory, potential, and limitations, we are ready to consider some of the alternatives to this mode of propulsion. If our spacecraft is ground-launched, we might consider a jet as the first stage, where oxygen is ingested from the air instead of carried on board. Other launch alternatives include igniting the rocket while it is suspended from a high-altitude balloon or accelerating it upon a magnetically levitated track prior to ignition.
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© 2009 Praxis Publishing, Ltd
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Vulpetti, G., Johnson, L., Matloff, G.L. (2009). Non-Rocket In-Space Propulsion. In: Solar Sails. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68500-7_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68500-7_4
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