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Having played several hundred hours of KSP I can confirm you shouldn't underestimate momentum. It's amazing that it's even possible. I think the number I've hea

Having played several hundred hours of KSP I can confirm you shouldn't underestimate momentum. It's amazing that it's even possible. I think the number I've heard is if the earth's gravity was something like 10% stronger this wouldn't be feasible.

EGreg 9y ago
Can you elaborate on this? Are you saying with a 10% higher gravity we wouldn't be able to escape Earth's field with any amount of thrust? What?
- trevyn 9y ago
  Possibly not able to carry enough chemical fuel to lift the fuel into space and return and do a controlled landing without refueling? That seems more plausible. Fuel is heavy, and most of it is spent on... lifting fuel.
  - EGreg 9y ago
    But the way the rocket works is creating a continuous explosion behind it. The propellant explodes, pushing the rocket. It's not just the rocket equation, but the explosion from a central point BEHIND the rocket that pushes it further. Having a nuclear explosion for example behind the rocket would surely be enough to push it into space... even on Jupiter.
    - trevyn 9y ago
      Sure, which is why I said chemical fuel. New propellants change the equation.
    - kabouseng 9y ago
      "But the way the rocket works is creating a continuous explosion behind it." Not quite, it's all about mass flow.
  - angstrom 9y ago
    Yes, this is what I was referring to. Though there's probably another percentage that makes most rocket fuel also insufficient for anything more than LEO.
- sten 9y ago
  You can't escape the rocket equation.
- simonh 9y ago
  With a modest increase in Earth's gravity, none of the rockets we have ever built would have been able to put even a small payload into even low earth orbit. Even a Saturn V wouldn't be able to launch Sputnik. Increase gravity a little more and no chemical rocket we could feasibly construct given known materials and methods would be able to do the job. It's not about the amount of thrust. It's about being able to carry enough fuel to sustain that thrust long enough, without the weight of the fuel making the rocket too heavy to lift high enough to reach orbit.
njarboe 9y ago
If gravity was 10% stronger rockets might be much more powerful and been reusable much sooner. Having the military need to produce nuclear powered rockets for effective ICBMs would have produced a very different nuclear power development path than the one on this Earth.
- BatFastard 9y ago
  And pigs would fly. Their squat powerful bodies would have developed wings!
greedo 9y ago
Project Orion would like to have a word with you...

EGreg 9y ago

Can you elaborate on this? Are you saying with a 10% higher gravity we wouldn't be able to escape Earth's field with any amount of thrust? What?

trevyn 9y ago
Possibly not able to carry enough chemical fuel to lift the fuel into space and return and do a controlled landing without refueling? That seems more plausible. Fuel is heavy, and most of it is spent on... lifting fuel.
- EGreg 9y ago
  But the way the rocket works is creating a continuous explosion behind it. The propellant explodes, pushing the rocket. It's not just the rocket equation, but the explosion from a central point BEHIND the rocket that pushes it further. Having a nuclear explosion for example behind the rocket would surely be enough to push it into space... even on Jupiter.
  - trevyn 9y ago
    Sure, which is why I said chemical fuel. New propellants change the equation.
  - kabouseng 9y ago
    "But the way the rocket works is creating a continuous explosion behind it." Not quite, it's all about mass flow.
- angstrom 9y ago
  Yes, this is what I was referring to. Though there's probably another percentage that makes most rocket fuel also insufficient for anything more than LEO.
sten 9y ago
You can't escape the rocket equation.
simonh 9y ago
With a modest increase in Earth's gravity, none of the rockets we have ever built would have been able to put even a small payload into even low earth orbit. Even a Saturn V wouldn't be able to launch Sputnik. Increase gravity a little more and no chemical rocket we could feasibly construct given known materials and methods would be able to do the job. It's not about the amount of thrust. It's about being able to carry enough fuel to sustain that thrust long enough, without the weight of the fuel making the rocket too heavy to lift high enough to reach orbit.

njarboe 9y ago

If gravity was 10% stronger rockets might be much more powerful and been reusable much sooner. Having the military need to produce nuclear powered rockets for effective ICBMs would have produced a very different nuclear power development path than the one on this Earth.

BatFastard 9y ago
And pigs would fly. Their squat powerful bodies would have developed wings!

greedo 9y ago

Project Orion would like to have a word with you...