New York to Beijing in two hours without leaving the ground?

[Widdekind]

if you're talking about passenger travel; could "suped up high-speed rail mass-drivers" be used, as super-powerful catapults, to launch air-craft, from the ground -- sort of a ground-based version, of an air-craft carrier catapult ? could that save on fuel costs ?

 

[Unkotare]

Market demand can't exist until there's a market.

-facepalm-

 

[ABikerSailor]

Perhaps "mini mass-drivers" could be fitted to Aircraft Carriers, as replacements for steam-powered catapults ? In theory, EM catapults could be more powerful, launching larger aircraft, at higher speeds.

Actually, yes.

The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers (or Ford-class) are a class of supercarrier for the United States Navy, intended to eventually replace the current Nimitz-class carriers. The new vessels will use a hull design very similar to the Nimitz carriers in appearance, but many aspects of the design will be very different, implementing new technologies developed since the initial design of the previous class (such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System), as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and running costs, including a reduced crew requirement.[3] The first hull of the line will be named Gerald R. Ford, and will have the hull number CVN-78.[Note 1][4]

Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As far as being able to use maglev as a way to launch objects into space? They're working on that as well.

Maglev technology, most known for propelling trains across Europe and Japan at great speeds, is being put to use for another purpose--launching satellites into orbit. Though this contract is only for launching satellites into orbit it is not too difficult to imagine the technology being used for eventually launching spaceships, cargo, and many other things into space. The idea of a magnetic launch system isn't that new but Launchpoint's design has brought a new twist into the concept--literally. There have been previous tests and studies done but most have been attempted with straight tracks. Launchpoint has gone for a circular track (as seen in picture). The circular design prevents the track from requiring quick bursts of acceleration to reach necessary speeds in time by elongating the track. The shape allows for a much longer acceleration period and thus a giant spike of energy is no longer needed to get a ship moving. More exciting though, is that the whole setup is not only technologically feasible but it is also cost effective.

The Space Monitor

 

[jmasterson]

FA_Q2 - "it is a pipe dream".

Did you intend the pun?