Glad to see some good ideas flowing on vortex on this thread. A good means of dispersal might be the use of a laser or plasma torch to disperse in atomic form. This atomic form might achieve a much better initial coverage than nanoparticles, but would probably eventually aggregate into nanoparticles in space. This would also have the advantage that the payload could be carried in the more dense solid form.
A good light and clean dispersant might be CaO. However, there is a fairly handy source of dispersant mass right in our sky ... the moon. We know that pieces of the moon and similar bodies enter our atmosphere continuously in the form of meteors, so lunar soil should not be too bad a dipersant. One idea that might be devloped is the use of a nuclear power plant that can use lunar soil as a reaction mass. If it is feasible for such a rocket to escape from the moon carrying a decent payload, then single ships could make numerous journeys without refueling. The best scheme might involve low payload ferries that move mass from the moon to lunar orbit, and a second class of ship that brings the mass to earth orbit. Railguns are useful for getting things to a high altitude, but not for getting to orbital speed, to a high tangential velocity, which requires a rocket to go along with the payload. Might be worked out, and a lot of work has been done on this concept, especially for Mars to orbit lifting. Railguns might be an ideal way to get payloads off the moon becuase they can be fired at a nearly tangential angle and the projectile has no air resistance. The projectile would still have to have some thrust capability in order to adjust to an orbit that would no impact the moon on the orbit return, but it could be nominal. Regards, Horace Heffner
