The most daunting obstacle facing the human race in exploring the Solar System is the first 100 miles.
During the Apollo missions, overcoming Earth's gravity during the first three minutes of launch consumed more energy and fuel than the entire rest of the mission combined. Even today it costs over $10,000 per pound to send a payload into Low Earth Orbit. Getting into space faster, cheaper, and more efficiently is one of the main goals of most orbital tech now being researched.
| SPACEPORTS | Space travel hubs. |
| ADVANCED SPACEPLANES | Spacecraft with wings. |
| AEROSPIKE ROCKETS | An innovative rocket design. |
| SUBORBITAL PASSENGER TRAVEL | To the edge of space and back. |
| SSTOs | Single Stage To Orbit vehicles. |
| SCRAMJETS | Screaming to orbit on a hypersonic jet. |
| DROPSHIPS | Getting from orbit to the ground--fast! |
| INFLATABLE REENTRY SHIELD | From orbit to the ground fast and cheap. |
| LAUNCH RAILS | Boosting launches from the ground. |
| LAUNCH GUNS | The ultimate cannons. |
| INFLATABLE LAUNCH TOWER | Flinging payloads from a 9 mile high inflated tower. |
| LIGHTCRAFT | Riding into space on a megawatt laser beam. |
| SPACE TETHERS | Spinning lengths of super-strong wire dozens of miles long. |
| PLASMA ROCKETS | Rocket exhaust as hot as stars. |
| SPACE FOUNTAIN | Space stations suspended by millions of hypersonic bullets. |
| SPACE ELEVATOR | A 40,000 mile long vertical railroad track right into space. |
| GRAVITIC DRIVES | Manipulating gravity for propulsion. |
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