Would it be a good idea to use a magnetic accelerator to send a ship quickly to a location?

Obviously not at the same speed as a projectile but I think that it would be quicker and more resource efficient to use a large, solar powered railgun to send ships quickly.

6493551
In the asteroid belt, maybe? But those things are so close together, relatively, you could just blast off one and end up on another a few hours or minutes later and spend almost zero reaction mass. I think.

An in-depth survey of the various technologies for spaceship propulsion, both from those we can expect to see in a few years and those at the edge of theoretical science. We'll break them down to basics and familiarize ourselves with the concepts. Note: I made a rather large math error about the Force per Power the EmDrive exerts at 32:10, initial tentative results for thrust are a good deal higher than I calculated compared to a flashlight.

This episode discusses the idea over using chains of relays firing immensely powerful lasers or streams of particles to move spaceships between neighbouring stars at near-light velocities.

Really like the idea of laser highways.

6493564
Sounds cool.

But I mean in the very near future, using an Earth orbiting facility to get further out of the solar system quickly.

For example, the first thing we shoot is a series of drone pods to construct a similar structure in the orbit of Mars, then we can travel back and forth quickly.

6493568
If your cargo can handle the acceleration, probably. Linear accelerators to get out into orbit is a possibility, though you need a way to get air out of the way and not destroy the rails from friction.

6493578
For getting air out of the way, maybe some sort of disposable, front mounted deflector?

6493551
Sure, if you don't mind being crushed to a red paste before you even start!

6493598
Like I said, it wouldn't be firing as quickly as it could. Fast enough to propel the ship quickly, but not enough to cause health problems.

Actually, maybe they could use the momentum as a sort of artificial gravity.

6493611
if youre talking about sending humans, there isnt really a way to accelerate a ship fast enough to escape orbit, without killing a human, without a very long acceleration

6493611
Then you're misusing the railgun. Their purpose is to accelerate projectiles to extreme velocities within a short distance.

6493711
My idea is using the railgun in orbit. Using one to leave the atmosphere was just a tangent we went on.

6493799
If it works then it isn't misuse, it's repurposing.

6493819
It's misuse because you are effectively hampering every good aspect of a railgun if you want to survive the launch. To achieve any useful speed you would have to accelerate too quickly in too short a time frame. And how are you going to slow down at the other end of the trip?

6493837
Since you don't need to use the fuel to accelerate, you'll have plenty to use for deceleration.

6493846
Railguns could work for launching non-sensitive payloads at low speeds between areas of the solar system. You'd need to go a lot faster and accelerate at a lower G-force with live passengers, barring some technology to mitigate the lethal effects of excessive G's. And for interstellar distances?
You need a drive that will accelerate you to a good portion of the speed of light, at at mininum.
A railgun is not viable for much more than ore cargo launches.

6493854
This was never intended for interstellar.

And even if we weren't making the ships go faster than they could with typical propulsion, I think it would be more cost effective.

6493875
It's more cost effective for slow-boating cargo around the solar system.

Again, you can't use a device like that for live passengers. It would be instantly fatal.

6493819
Even if you used them in orbit, you would need to accelerate enough to LEAVE the orbit of the planet, which means you either need some miracle tech to stop the G forces from killing you, or you would have to accelerate over a long period of time

6493978
That was an issue when I was thinking it up. Can't really find a way around it.

6494064
I mean far enough out that the pull isn't so strong, just past the moon maybe.

6494274
I suppose.