2 ms·

Loads of small nukes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propuls...

• rbanffy 4y ago
  It would also strongly motivate the inhabitants of the planet to permanently leave it.
  • denton-scratch 4y ago
    Yeah, I know! I didn't mean to suggest it was a good idea. But if you want to get The Great Pyramid of Giza into space, that's how you'd have to do it (i.e., it's possible in principle). I think the Orion project people spoke of a spaceship the size of a large hotel; with plenty of lead for screening cosmic rays. They claimed there'd be so much lifting capacity that keeping weight down wouldn't be an issue - you could have a barbershop with real barber's chairs. I don't see much future in this kind of design. But I also don't see much future for human space exploration without truly gigantic spaceships. I suppose the alternative is to assemble the ship in orbit, using hundreds of chemical-powered supply missions.
    • NotACop182 4y ago
      Love to see what a failed liftoff looked like