How do rockets work anyway?
Normal rockets work by throwing stuff. If you throw stuff out the back of a rocket fast enough you go the opposite way, because when you throw it, it also (from Newton’s third law) it throws you. So, if you throw a lot of stuff sideways, then you end up going fast enough sideways that the horizon curves away from you at the same rate as you’re falling and then you keep missing the ground and you’re in orbit. That’s what a rocket does. It’s that easy! Unfortunately at the throw speed of any good rocket, the amount of stuff you need to throw is enormous, up to 20 times the amount of stuff you need to put into orbit; and most of that is the rocket, leaving only 2% of the takeoff weight for payload- that means you the guy/gal that paid plus your capsule. How would a launch loop work? The launch loop works in the same way; but with a big twist. A launch loop would throw the whole Earth in one direction and the payload in the other. Now, before you join the Society for ProtectIon of The Eart
