Pneumatic Accelerator for Launching a Spacecraft

A report proposes the development of a ground-based launch-assist apparatus that would accelerate a spacecraft to a speed of about 270 m/s. The apparatus would include a track along which the spacecraft would ride on a sled coupled to a large piston driven by compressed air along a tube (more precisely, a concrete tunnel lined with stainless-steel sheet) below the track. The connection between the sled and the piston would be made via a coupling plate that would slide along a slot on top of the tube. The slot would seal after passage of the coupling plate. As described thus far, the apparatus could be characterized as a modern, high-acceleration, high-speed version of pneumatic drives with slot connections to rail cars that were used in Europe during the 1840s.