Flinging Things Into Space

New Scientist has up an article about a proposed ring that could launch satellites into space. The physics behind it are similar to a particle accelarator could reduce the cost / kg of launches by at least 10 to 100 times. The bad news? You have to be able to withstand 2,000 g's and it takes a couple of hours to launch. Another possible use for this would be missle launches that could hit anywhere in the world. Because of this, the interviewee (Alan Epstein [MIT]) says, "The ring then becomes one of the most important targets on the planet."

This seems to me like you'd find it in a Sci-Fi book or movie.