3 ms·
It'd just be 13 km/s to low orbit (or 19 km/s to escape), which isn't really that much for small payloads -- New Horizons had a total of 17 km/s delta-v. You do
by perihelions 4y ago
It'd just be 13 km/s to low orbit (or 19 km/s to escape), which isn't really that much for small payloads -- New Horizons had a total of 17 km/s delta-v. You don't even need to look at space elevators or fission or fusion launch systems, all of which are probably viable on first principles.
- vikingerik 4y agoThat orbit or escape velocity really is that much. The rocket equation is exponential, such that even a small change in the required speed means a large change in requirements. The difference between Earth's escape velocity of 11 km/s and this planet's of 19 is actually quite huge. Imagine you build an 11 km/s rocket as you would on Earth... to get it off this other planet, first you have to accelerate that rocket and all its fuel to 8 km/s. The rocket equation is Δv = Ve ln (m0 / m1), where Ve is exhaust velocity, m0 is payload mass, m1 is mass including fuel. To get 19/11 as much Δv, you need a fuel/mass ratio of e^(19/11) = 5.6 times greater.