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I don't think you can realistically shoot stuff out of Earth's gravity well. Air resistance would be a bitch, and you'd have to restrict it to materials and, well, shapes that can handle the stress of acceleration. (Puny humans would be right out unless you don't mind them arriving as a fine paste.)
Shipping of material from one space colony to another is another matter, however.
What I'd like to see would be a space elavator. We're not far from making materials that would make it theoretically possible (ie able to take the stress of their own weight), and the humongus energy cost of sending stuff up would be paid by sending stuff down.
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