science

Quicklaunch

Quicklaunch is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Quicklaunch rather than just read about it. In short: Quicklaunch is an inactive US company attempting to use a type of space gun to launch payloads into low Earth orbit. It is a university spin-off of the SHARP project which ended 2005.

Key takeaways

Quicklaunch belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Quicklaunch to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Quicklaunch from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Quicklaunch is an inactive US company attempting to use a type of space gun to launch payloads into low Earth orbit. It is a university spin-off of the SHARP project which ended 2005.

Quicklauncher The Quicklaunch proposed firing apparatus was a light-gas gun using hydrogen as the working gas and natural gas as the explosive heat source. Heating and pre-pressurizing the hydrogen working gas takes 10 minutes before the shot and most of the hydrogen is recovered by a muzzle muffler at the end of the launch tube to be reused for subsequent launches. The 1,100-metre-long (3,600 ft) gun would be, for the most part, submerged in the ocean. Its horizontal and vertical direction (azimuth and elevation) could be adjusted based on customer launch requirements. The proposed launcher was designed to give projectiles an initial speed of 6 km/s (3.7 mi/s) while the Earth orbital speed is 6.9 to 7.8 km/s (4.3 to 4.8 mi/s). The projectile design therefore included a one-stage rocket which ignites some time after launch. The designed payloads could include spacecraft, satellites, consumable, water or fuel to supply a propellant depot in orbit. Projected costs to orbit were $500 per pound ($1,100/kg).

Project phases A one-year 2 million dollar project to break the record height of 180 kilometres (110 mi) for a projectile fired from a space gun, which was achieved in Project HARP. A two-year 10 million dollar project to launch to orbit a 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) payload each time. A two-year 50 million dollar project to launch to orbit a 45 kilograms (99 lb) payload each time. A three-year 500 million dollar project to build and operate multiple 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) long Quicklaunchers called the QL-1000 that are capable of launching 1,000 pounds (450 kg) propellant payloads to orbit. The goal is to supply 1,800,000 kilograms (4,000,000 lb) of fuel to orbital propellant depots yearly.

Hiatus In a 2016 article, Hunter remarked that the work had been put in stasis due in part to Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, taking up the challenge of reducing costs to orbit. Hunter however invited someone with a similar level of money and motivation, to take a fresh look at the approach. Later, Hunter ran a new start-up called Green Launch that is also developing a space light-gas gun.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Quicklaunch

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Quicklaunch claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Quicklaunch before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Quicklaunch ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Quicklaunch

In research: Quicklaunch appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Quicklaunch in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Quicklaunch is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aerospace companies of the United States, Private spaceflight companies, Space access, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Quicklaunch outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Quicklaunch in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Quicklaunch means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Quicklaunch out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Quicklaunch in simple terms?

Quicklaunch is an inactive US company attempting to use a type of space gun to launch payloads into low Earth orbit. It is a university spin-off of the SHARP project which ended 2005.

Why does Quicklaunch matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Quicklaunch?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Quicklaunch.