On Fri, 19 Feb 1999, PG Manney wrote: Absolutely correct. The reason rockets are aimed vertical to the ground is to get through atmosphere drag as soon as possible. A rocket (or linear accellerator package) launched from the moon would have no such drag, in fact the O'Neil project launchers are designed to miss the horizon by "just this much". While it's fiction, the novel _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ by Robert Heinlein is a fair introductory text on that. Ignore the blatant libertarianism in the story unless you're into that sort of thing (as I am). -- Ward Griffiths "the timid die just like the daring; and if you don't take the plunge then you'll just take the fall" Michael Longcor