Super-Earths in need for Extremly Big Rockets
classification
⚛️ physics.pop-ph
astro-ph.EP
keywords
rocketssuper-earthsworldschemicalearthheaviermuchrocky
read the original abstract
Many rocky exoplanets are heavier and larger than Earth, so-called "Super-Earths". Some of these may be habitable, and a few may be inhabited by Super-Earthlings. Due to the higher surface gravity on these worlds, space-flight is much more challenging. We find that chemical rockets still allow for escape velocities on Super-Earths up to 10x Earth mass. Much heavier rocky worlds, if they exist, will require using up most of the planet as chemical fuel for the (one) launch, a rather risky undertaking. We also briefly discuss launching rockets from water worlds, which requires Alien megastructures.
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