If Earth Was 50% Larger, We Might Be Stuck Here

Re:If Earth Was 50% Larger, We Might Be Stuck Here by perl4ever on Tuesday June 23, 2020 @12:39AM (#23609980)

Insert xkcd about how the difficulty in getting to orbit is speed not altitude.

This is all the more true about a larger planet than earth.

Sure, you might have a thicker atmosphere, but that's an additional challenge. Needing a balloon (if it made sense, I couldn't do the calculation) would be a reflection of the difficulty above and beyond the increased orbital velocity that is the basic problem.

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Re:If Earth Was 50% Larger, We Might Be Stuck Here by lxmorj on Thursday June 25, 2020 @11:31PM (#23648396)

Well sure, but the majority of your energy spent is fighting to get up to speed while in the atmosphere. A balloon or dirigible or some buoyancy play should be able to get you to a certain atmospheric density regardless of planetary gravity. That cuts the bottom off of the rocket equation pyramid and reduces drag immensely at your 'starting' point.

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