Re:The Pentagon’s electromagnetic ‘rail gun’ makes its publi...
by rm_-rf_slash on Monday February 09, 2015 @02:29PM
(#9023114)
The more likely limitation is the human body. We can only take so much acceleration until we lose consciousness or worse. This would necessitate a much longer "runway" for people to use safely. No comment on unmanned use.
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Re:The Pentagon’s electromagnetic ‘rail gun’ makes its publi...
by mikeash on Monday February 09, 2015 @03:16PM
(#9023399)
And note that "lose consciousness" is around 10g (depending on orientation, health, and many other factors) and "die" is something like 20-40g for more than a small period of time. A gun like this generates thousands or tens of thousands of g, which is more along the lines of "turned into a fine paste smeared on the back wall of the capsule."