The Worms video game series has a fun item: ropes.<p>These ropes are rigid but you can vary the length, so you can do a bunch of interesting pendulum behaviors to accelerate yourself.<p>If you had a long tether between two objects of different weights, and the whole system is rotating, I feel like you could get some interesting acceleration effects by rapidly shortening the tether (assuming its strong enough to not snap)
Space tether missions: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tether_missions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tether_missions</a> :<p>> <i>A number of space tethers have been deployed in space missions.[1] Tether satellites can be used for various purposes including research into tether propulsion, tidal stabilisation and orbital plasma dynamics.</i><p>Tether propulsion -> Space tether:
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tether_propulsion" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tether_propulsion</a><p>How many RPMs/Hz are necessary for DC (or AC) motors?
Fwiw, Neal Stephenson's Seveneves has a strong component of tethered spacecraft.<p>Started slow but fun trajectory (for an <i>incredibly</i> dark book). Last 1/3rd is basically a separate book.
Kurzgesagt has a video on this topic: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqwpQarrDwk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqwpQarrDwk</a>
I will never understand those who want to travel to space. Feeling the elements on the skin (air, wind, water, sun, gravity..) is an essential part of adventure.<p>Billions of dollars and billions of miles after once you arrive you can only observe, you can't feel anything because you have to be in a spacesuit the whole time, no air, no gravity, no wind, no plants, no water, when you can feel some air is artificial.<p>What's the point of it all? Hubble pics + a serious VR set basically give you the same visual experience which is the only thing that maybe could be worth about going there.
Reminds me of this fantastic short story by David Brin.<p><a href="http://www.davidbrin.com/tankfarm.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.davidbrin.com/tankfarm.htm</a>
On the subject of tethers in space, I saw an interesting research project for launching objects around the moon; Launch a pair of Bolas, hooked by a detachable tether. Using sensors, unhook the tether at the right moment and one goes flying into the ground while the other gets a soft landing.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACqpdXAKYHI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACqpdXAKYHI</a>
A rendition of this idea can be seen in the Halo TV adaptation. I can’t remember which episode(s) or find a good YouTube link right now. But there’s a settlement in an asteroid belt where the people move around on cars attached to rails/tethers between the asteroids.
Greatest problem of space travel is that we wouldn't get the pleasure to experience the whole journey no matter our velocity.<p>We try to come up with neat ideas, sadly this is not one we will achieve. We can send robots this way.