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== Kristian Andresen ==
I am a PhD student at the Technical University of Denmark, working on fuel cells.

This is my handwaving sketch of what a hybrid between the Startram and the Launch Loop would look like:

{{attachment:sketch.jpg}}

A: Acceleration is primarily horizontal.

B: Acceleration is upwards.

C: Westbound track acts as a suspension bridge, and the vacuum tunnel is buoyant, so upwards acceleration continues.

D: Curvature changes as the decreased atmospheric pressure reduces buoyancy and due to the negative suspension bridge effect, so g forces return towards horizontal.

E: At the end of the spaceship run where the speed is greatest, the westbound rotor is again above the eastbound, keeping the track almost straight and g forces aboard the ship managable. The spaceship begins thrusting prior to detaching from the track, with the nozzle pointing away from the track.

F: Just after the spaceship leaves the launch loop, the westbound rotor is below, pulling the eastbound rotor back to ground level.

G: Spaceship docks with station while thrusting all the way. At no point are passengers subjected to freefall, and the entire ride is not too dissimilar to taking the subway.

[[attachment:VacuumTunnel.pdf]]

This file by Sean Anderson Barton has some ideas regarding the construction of vacuum tunnels, but of course, there is a bit of a question mark regarding how a structure like that behaves in the jet stream.