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Just because traditional combustion engines can't do it doesn't mean much. More powerful nuclear thermal engines, direct fusion engines, etc are in development.
by nwah1 6y ago
Just because traditional combustion engines can't do it doesn't mean much. More powerful nuclear thermal engines, direct fusion engines, etc are in development. There's other possibilities.
- simonh 6y agoThat’s true to a point, but it’s undeniable that as the cost of space technology increases the odds of bothering with it fall, and that the relatively modest changes in the conditions have exponential impact on the costs. A small increase in gravity rules out chemical rockets. Yes nuclear rockets might still be viable at that point, but increase gravity a bit more, or atmospheric density, and those become unviable too. And so it goes. The point is the range of conditions in which space tech is viable is very narrow compared to the range of possible conditions a species might find itself in.