NASA improves the slingshot for space

Scientists at NASA are revisiting the slingshot. As David killed Goliath with a whirling sling and a stone, the high-tech consortium strives to propel rockets into space with a greatly boosted even a super slingshot for the ages.

No, this is not science fiction. Capital ventures are forking up millions to make the slingshot work. 

Scientists say that if men can devise it, it can be boosted. And if it can be improved and empowered enough, then there is hope that just about anything can be done if you put enough brain power and money into it.

So, that seems to be the thinking of those on the sling launch project.

The challenge with present technology

True, rockets are more powerful than ever.  But they require a lot of energy to launch them into space. About  90% of the rocket’s weight is fuel.

Therefore, we need to reinvent the slingshot, a low-tech concept boosted and reconfigured to reduce the cost of launching rockets.

skepticism

Not surprisingly, there are skeptics, many of them. But if skepticism will be overcome, scientists follow the age-old protocol: conceive of a small model and test it. Then, progressively enlarge the model and repeat the tests until we have a testable model at full size.

A workable model

Take a satellite encased in a bullet-shaped capsule and whirl it fast enough to launch it into space. Such spin-launch technology is now being devised.

Successful tests

NASA has teamed up with private spaceflight company SpinLaunch to trial a unique system designed to send satellites into space using a single team of scientists who have developed batteries that are resistant to high temperatures, even temperatures generated by 10,000 G-forces.

They did ten tests without one failure at one-third of the scale.

Dancing with the concept

Can technology enable an audience to feel what dancers experience on the stage? Vibration patterns in a small device strapped to one’s arm communicate to people, giving experienced ballet dancers a feeling of what the performers are doing on stage.  Thus, we see an enhanced dance performance. It’s this sort of interdisciplinary engineering that gives promise to a solution they seek.

Spasticity overcome

Some patients have stiff spines. But the nervous system is like an orchestra. Spasticity is abnormal muscle tightness due to prolonged muscle contraction. Curing this stubborn condition requires the most insightful collaboration.

Three kinds of engineering

Three kinds of engineering; mechanical, computer, and electrical, are needed to repair stiff spines or to make a machine to allow children to play double

Dutch. Whatever the challenge is, established protocols come to the rescue to solve them.

Insightful collaboration

Because each individual has blind spots, collaboration is needed to solve complex problems. Collaboration works best when each individual represents a different discipline and enough disciplines are involved to give a well-rounded perspective of the problem. Then, solutions are in sight.

Confidence is so high that scientists and investors are openly discussing bringing a product to market.

One scientist says that once the slingshot launch is on the market, it will inspire young girls, inventors, and patients of all kinds.