https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3255351/nasas-dream-comes-true-china-plans-build-giant-rail-gun-launch-hypersonic-planes-space

    • retrolasered@lemmy.zip
      ·
      8 months ago

      Its not a new idea, arthur c clarke wrote about a rail launcher in Prelude to Space (1947), he based most of that story on how the scientists at that time expected space travel to happen.

      • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        8 months ago

        "We have perfected instantaneous teleportation."

        "Pfffft, Star Trek did it."

        • retrolasered@lemmy.zip
          ·
          8 months ago

          No rail launchers arent new, they just havent been invested in for space travel. At a guess id say because they are expensive and end up stuck in one place, which adds limitations later on

      • volcel_olive_oil [he/him]
        ·
        8 months ago

        bringing a science fiction concept into reality presents an engineering challenge that requires both research and innovation; research to find what the real life problems stopping you are, and innovation to solve them