Abstract
VLAL (Vacuumed Linear Accelerator Launcher)-A novel approach to aerospace propulsion
By: Rohil Khare
Rockets today are extremely expensive to launch due to the cost of fuel. This project aims to reduce the fuel cost for rockets by replacing the initial boosters with a magnetic linear accelerator. The accelerator was built using strong neodymium magnets and spare parts. Using the original principle of Rolf Wideroe, this accelerator builds up velocity by utilizing more magnets. Over the course of testing, several prototype components, including the type of railing material, were changed to obtain improved launch performance. It was also calculated that the prototype is 1/1000 of the size compared to this prototype being built at a full scale. With this information and seeing that the escape velocity of earth is 7 miles in a second, it was determined that the prototype must travel 39.6 feet in 1 second. The prototype exceeded this limit and went about 260 feet in 1 second. The vacuum tube helped decrease the drag on the “rocket” and the data supports this claim because the velocity 12 inches away from the launch gate in the vacuumed tube was 3 meters/ second greater than the launcher without the vacuum. This means that the idea of a magnet launching a rocket ship in a vacuum tube is completely plausible and can be done on a full scale to successfully launch a rocket. This idea is also applicable for many other things like launching weather balloons and gliders for instance. It can also be used for train systems such as the Hyperloop.