The electromagnetic rocket gun

A novel propulsion concept is proposed which has the potential of accelerating large masses to velocities substantially higher than what is possible with chemical rockets. The novel concept is an electromagnetic gun, where the projectile is a rocket. The proposed concept solves the old problem of magnetic propulsion, which is the resistive dissipation of the induced electric currents into heat which will vaporize the projectile long before it can reach a high velocity. As in a rocket, where the propellant cools and thereby prevents the rocket from burning up, the same happens in the proposed concept where the propellent also cools the projectile and prevents its vaporization. The propellant, however, not only cools the projectile but in addition is resistively heated by the magnetic field and ejected from the projectile with high velocity. The resulting recoil produces an additional thrust which is approximately as large as the thrust exerted by the magnetic field alone. The energy to drive the jet is externally supplied, making the specific impulse much larger than for chemical rockets.