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Wouldn't it be physically impossible to escape the gravity of a super Earth using the currently available and known propulsion technology we have here on Earth?
by sidcool 4y ago
Wouldn't it be physically impossible to escape the gravity of a super Earth using the currently available and known propulsion technology we have here on Earth?
- jccooper 4y agoNot quite, but as mass increases relative to Earth, launch vehicles become increasingly ridiculous. Many "super-Earth"s would need something like a Saturn V to get to their equivalent of the ISS, or maybe even their equivalent of Sputnik, depending on exactly how "super". When you start to get into gas giant mass, chemical launch starts to become really close to impossible instead of just wildly unaffordable.
- hinkley 4y agoWe haven’t even come up with a material strong enough to build a space elevator here on earth. On a heavy planet you need an even higher strength to weight ratio. Your space platform would practically have to be a floating city, since mountains won’t even be as high.