BRAINDUMP
Amazing answers to your curious questions
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Who’s answering your questions this month?
An artist’s conception of a space elevator, a hypothetical alternative to launches
Is there a non-rocket alternative to space launches?
Stefan Shaffer
In terms of present-day technology, the answer is no. Some launch systems,
such as Virgin’s SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane, or the company’s
LauncherOne satellite launcher, use a conventional aircraft for the first part of
the mission, but they still need a rocket to actually get into space.
Nevertheless, people have speculated on alternative options that might
become feasible in the future. These range from electromagnetic rail guns to
enormous ‘space elevators’ running all the way from ground level to
geosynchronous orbit. The latter would revolutionise access to space, but a
whole range of engineering challenges would have to be overcome.
AM
CAN ANY TYPE OF FOOD HAVE NEGATIVE CALORIES?
Angela Harding
Negative-calorie food means that the body uses more calories to digest it than can be found in the food itself. The higher the water content, the closer a food gets to having negative calories. Unfortunately, there’s no evidence to suggest that such a food actually exists… not even celery.