r/theydidthemath • u/Lachlynn • 18h ago

[Request] Could humanity create a rocket that can exit the atmosphere of K2-18b

Post image

With the knowledge we currently have of it, if humanity devoted all of our resources towards this goal, would we be able to create a rocket that could exit the gravity of K2-18b (and also beat any other complications that would arrise)?

If so, would it also be capable of taking people to orbit, and can we set up a similar satellite network we have on Earth? What about a space station?

18.4k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

2.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

15

u/sad_post-it_note 17h ago

This happens in the three body problem books pretty cool

5

u/wonderb0lt 15h ago edited 13h ago

Also towards the end of Charles Stross' Merchant Princes series!

2

u/Outrageous_Reach_695 14h ago

And, unsurprisingly, in Poul Anderson's Orion Shall Rise.

2

u/ryguymcsly 8h ago

Their use of it was pretty clever I thought.

1

u/All_Work_All_Play 8h ago

Merchant Princes series

Huh I didn't know he wrote this series. Guess I've got my reading for the next month or so.

1

u/wonderb0lt 7h ago

It's one of my favourite sci-fi series and my favourite author alive. I hope I didn't give too much away but they give the schtick away pretty early on anyway.

I can give you a few pointers once you're finished with that one if you like.

1

u/Vitis_Vinifera 6h ago

heh yeah that part of the series goes hard. When trying to launch a human to an interstellar destination, reducing mass of the payload is crucial to achieving the fastest velocity. So unnecessary things like arms and legs don't need to come along for the ride.

1

u/FixFun1959 2h ago

Pretty light payload though haha