Comments on: Spinlaunch completes 10th test launch, this time for outside customers

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 03:32:59 +0000

If I built a counterbalance that is dynamic I guess you could have two counter weights but they aren’t identical in weight one on each side of the fulcrum the lighter counter weight rides nearer the fulcrum, between the payload and the fulcrum, while the load is being sped up this way the weight of the payload plus the smaller counter weight balance out the larger counter weight on the opposite side of the fulcrum and upon launch of the payload that smaller weight is allowed to shift/slide outward far enough that it becomes in balance with the larger counter weight for instance imagine the cylinder of a six shooter has 3 side-by-side bullets in it, the other three chambers are empty (just an easy way to illustrate this idea, for any Harvard graduates out there there’s a joke later), The half of the cylinder with 3 empty chambers lets cut half of that or 1/4 of the cylinder away and hollow out the rest That is where the payload will rest along with a mechanism to launch the payload out of this pocket

As soon as the payload is launched the trigger is activated which allows cylinder to roll on its axis the heavy side of the cylinder that has the bullets now is 180 degrees away from where it was and the lighter side of the cylinder is now between the heavy side(bullets) and the fulcrum
Ta daa!!

By: sippin_bourbon

sippin_bourbon — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 20:29:31 +0000

I have wondered about the counter-balance issue also.

I cannot find the link, but the patent they filed mentions a counterweight released at the same time.

Personally I was thinking a liquid counterweight, to minimize the chance of actually damaging anything.

By: "Content"

"Content" — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 12:05:22 +0000

Also: can you sling, say, 3000g of depleted uranium in a nice parabola? At, say, an aircraft carrier? Or a compound in, say, Pakistan?

Probably melt off as it screeches through the air… but that’s a question for the engineers.

By: "Content"

"Content" — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 11:57:19 +0000

Bonus: it mixes the Tang before hucking it up to the Station.

By: Star Bird

Star Bird — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 22:43:01 +0000

Do they still have SETI(Search for Extra Terrestial Intelligence)going?

By: BLSinSC

BLSinSC — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:41:23 +0000

Can it send invaders back to SA??

By: Scott M.

Scott M. — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 15:05:57 +0000

Ray, that is something I’m wondering as well. I hope that whatever mechanical solution they’ve come up with is scalable to the final launch size.

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 03:12:01 +0000

I would still like to know how they keep the whole thing from tearing itself apart when the (presumably) balanced main arm becomes unbalanced by the release of the payload! Maybe it’s just a seriously massive bearing?

By: LocalFulff

LocalFulff — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 20:53:02 +0000

Amazing that such a crazy machine has been constructed! It will be interesting to follow, thanks for bringing my attention to it!