Many rocky exoplanets are heavier and larger than the Earth, and have higher surface gravity. This makes space-flight on these worlds very challenging, because the required fuel mass for a given payload is an exponential function of planetary surface gravity. We find that chemical rockets still allow for escape velocities on Super-Earths up to 10x Earth mass. More massive rocky worlds, if they exist, would require other means to leave the planet, such as nuclear propulsion.
arXiv comments
Accepted for publication in the International Journal of Astrobiology. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1803.11384
Journal reference
International Journal of Astrobiology 18 (2019) 393-395
Linked by 2 identifiable commenters in 2 comments across 2 threads, from May 2019 to Oct 2026. Found in 2 HN submissions from Apr 2018 to Apr 2018. Open submission discussions.
https://arxiv.org/html/1804.04727v2 A larger earth with the same average density of Earth that has 1.3 Gs of surface gravity would need around twice the fuel to escape into space and a system that could handle that extra fuel and longer burn without self-destructing. The fuel…
>No, it isn't. We think it's possible because we have extensive experimental data on fusion reactions from Earthbound experiments. From those experiments we know a wide range of possible conditions that can produce sustained, controlled fusion. There is zero evidence sustained…
https://arxiv.org/html/1804.04727v2 A larger earth with the same average density of Earth that has 1.3 Gs of surface gravity would need around twice the fuel to escape into space and a system that could handle that extra fuel and longer burn without self-destructing. The fuel…
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