Once upon a time, James A. Robbins  said:   
   >The one thing that might really work well is a rail gun launcher.  It   
   >probably would not get you supersonic, but it could get you above the   
   >thickest of the atmosphere and a good speed boost.  It's probably too   
   >expensive to build in comparison to booster rockets.  Maintenance would   
   >probably also be a problem.  Just imagine maintaining a, say, 20 mile   
   >long structure built on the side of a high mountain, throughout the   
   >winter.  Just keeping it free from snow and ice would be a problem.   
      
   To make a rail-gun launch system practical, you probably need the whole   
   rail to be in a low-pressure or vacuum tube.  One trick then is that the   
   exit has to be sealed until the vehicle is close to the exit; if   
   anything goes wrong with the door, you're screwed.   
      
   --    
   Chris Adams    
   Systems and Network Administrator - HiWAAY Internet Services   
   I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble.   
   --- SBBSecho 2.12-Win32   
    * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:14/400)