Laser Launch

Completed 2018-02-07. Available releases:

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In the "Bifrost Bridge" concept, a magnetic accelerator flings a spacecraft out of a mountain. Lasers then shoot it, and mirrored surfaces reflect and focus the light, making the air explode into plasma, which then accelerates the craft (nearly) to orbit.

Mountain is Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador (which is high, very close to equator, shallowly sloping, and has a good flat run to the west). The lasers are generated in an underground facility and piped up to the surface. They hit a few mirrors and then fly to the rear end of the spaceship, which has just been launched out of the tunnel between the two dishes. The spaceship itself has a mirrored and curved end, which focuses the lasers into an annular region. Air flowing in from the top is flashed into plasma by the lasers, and exits the back to propel the craft. When the air becomes too thin, a subsequent laser station, lasing in the blue this time, ablates the mirror for remass (the mirror is optimized to reflect green, you see).

This is the first time I've drawn rocks or clouds with this technique, and I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I'm loving my new pad of gray paper!

🏔️📡🌀➖➖➖➖🔥💥🚀

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