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Like roller coasters? How about one in space?
Well, not yet.
But some high-tech roller coasters may already be using technology that could send future rockets flying into the great beyond.
The technology is called magnetic levitation, or maglev.
A maglev track uses magnetic fields to levitate and then 'push' a vehicle along a track at incredible speeds. Tracks using powerful magnets to lift roller coasters and high-speed trains are already in use.
So why is maglev a good solution for space launches?
To get into space you need enough speed to overcome the force of Earth's gravity. Rockets do this by using lots of rocket fuel. But rocket fuel itself is very heavy. That means rockets have to have even more fuel just to lift the weight of all that fuel!
If the rocket were to begin its launch on a maglev track, it could be going very fast before the rockets were even ignited. That would save lots of fuel, making it easier, and cheaper to get into space.
The Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama built a 50-foot test track last Fall. It can accelerate a model spacecraft from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than half a second -- with the flip of a switch.
A maglev spacecraft could be going as fast as 600mph before its rocket engines kick in and it flies off the end of the track.
As for the answer, space roller coasters are coming up any time soon, but, with the space tourism industry developing at this rate, they are with-a-doubt in the future.
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