Re: How come gauss rifle ('rail gun') projectiles don't vapourise when fired?

Gerry,

I'm afraid Gauss guns (or "Mass Drivers") can't fire projectiles "just below the speed of light". Accelerating an object the size of a bullet to that velocity (within the scope of the Earth) would require a prohibitively large amount of energy.

A notable exception however, is the nuclear particle accelerator, which can propel objects of extremely low mass (protons, neutrons, etc.) to those velocities. This can be done with reasonable energy, time and distance.

The Space Studies Institute has more information about Mass Drivers at:

http://www.astro.nwu.edu/lentz/space/ssi

Hope this helps, and have a great day!

Keith Little