Flying Sorcerors

[Whitewings]

Assuming mages of sufficient ability to cast the needed spells are at least moderately common (let's assume an upper skill level limit of 25, including modifiers), how could magic (as described in GURPS Magic) be used to get a space vessel into orbit? The various Shape spells can certainly create an airtight hull, so let's just focus on the getting into orbit part.

[Flyndaran]

Assuming otherwise normal physics and astronomy?

Past a certain altitude, you would need to get Newtonian jet propulsion somehow.

[Whitewings]

Otherwise normal physics and astronomy are indeed assumed.

[munin]

RAW, 60 to 72 FP into an Enlarge spell will make you big enough (100 to 1,000 miles high) and strong enough to pick up the space vessel and throw it sideways into orbit. Resist Pressure and Hold Breath will be useful.

[Gnome]

Sounds like the Flying Carpet spell is the closest to what you want. After all, the subject doesn't have to be a carpet. It's going to cost a lot of FP, and you're going to have to keep the spell on to keep the ship flying.
I suppose you won't technically be "in orbit," since you won't go fast enough to do so (with skill 25, you're talking Move 25, not even close to escape velocity).

Another way might be to cast a giant Repel spell behind the ship to act as a thruster. You would need a lot of energy for this...

[Rolando]

I think levitate or flying carpet are a kind of antigravity so may, with time, fly to orbit...

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Rolando

I think levitate or flying carpet are a kind of antigravity so may, with time, fly to orbit...

Orbit is more a matter of horizontal velocity than altitude. Getting into space is pretty much trivial for GURPS Magic, but orbit isn't as simple.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Whitewings

so let's just focus on the getting into orbit part.

You're going to need to focus on building a magical rocket. Unfortunately, Flight, Hawk Flight and Flying Carpet produces fixed speeds in atmosphere and not accelerations or quantities of thrust.

It's possible that you can get thrust just by using Create Air in a suitable chamber i.e. closed except for a very small opening and leading into a rocket nozzle.

My favorite though is to produce such a chamber that's 1 hex in volume inside. Fit it with an Essential FLme Enchanted item with either 2 or 3 pts of Power. If you go with only 2 you'll need someone or a Powerstone or something to put in the 3rd pt to start the engine.

Stoke your hex of Essential Fire with Essential Air. This goes on the same Item so it can share the same Power Enchantment. This isn't amaintined Spell so you need to set it to autoamticallyc ast once per second.

Your fire's already up to 1D+1 which is much hotter than the molotov cocktail sort of "regular" Fire that does 1D-1. Then you leverage that Power enchantment again by adding Fast Fire for more heat. go with 3pts and your fire is at 3D+3 and that's hotter than burning thermite. You may need to add Resist Fire to the rocket chamber.

Then the last major Enchantment is a regular Create Water. Choose the cloud of water droplets to maximize surface area. This would extinguish regular Fire but normal water _can't_ extinguish Essential Fire. You should get high temperature steam instead.

Jetting out of the rocket chamber that should produce thrust and you've got a magical rocket.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Orbit is more a matter of horizontal velocity than altitude.

Unless you just keep levitating the spacecraft. Think of it as a powered orbit. You can go as slow as you like.

The various jets and missile spells let you throw things backwards for rocket propulsion, though you probably won't like the thrust unless you scale them up. Luckily, Enlarge gives you a way to do that without actually having to carry a lot of mass. Create lets you create that reaction mass without carrying it at all.

Or you could use the old destroy-the-planet teleporter/gate trick to make gravity do the work for you. Fall toward the planet into a gate that ports you back above the gate. Accumulate 1G acceleration for as long as you need to wait. Then port 90 degrees around the planet so that your velocity vector is tangential to your desired orbit.

[Whitewings]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

You're going to need to focus on building a magical rocket. Unfortunately, Flight, Hawk Flight and Flying Carpet produces fixed speeds in atmosphere and not accelerations or quantities of thrust.

It's possible that you can get thrust just by using Create Air in a suitable chamber i.e. closed except for a very small opening and leading into a rocket nozzle.

My favorite though is to produce such a chamber that's 1 hex in volume inside. Fit it with an Essential FLme Enchanted item with either 2 or 3 pts of Power. If you go with only 2 you'll need someone or a Powerstone or something to put in the 3rd pt to start the engine.

Stoke your hex of Essential Fire with Essential Air. This goes on the same Item so it can share the same Power Enchantment. This isn't amaintined Spell so you need to set it to autoamticallyc ast once per second.

Your fire's already up to 1D+1 which is much hotter than the molotov cocktail sort of "regular" Fire that does 1D-1. Then you leverage that Power enchantment again by adding Fast Fire for more heat. go with 3pts and your fire is at 3D+3 and that's hotter than burning thermite. You may need to add Resist Fire to the rocket chamber.

Then the last major Enchantment is a regular Create Water. Choose the cloud of water droplets to maximize surface area. This would extinguish regular Fire but normal water _can't_ extinguish Essential Fire. You should get high temperature steam instead.

Jetting out of the rocket chamber that should produce thrust and you've got a magical rocket.

I like that thought. I like it a lot. The only exhaust is water vapour, environmental impact negligible.