Space Exploration Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [escape-velocity]

The speed needed to "break free" of the gravitational attraction of a body without spending more propellant.

In physics, escape velocity is the speed at which the sum of an object's kinetic energy and its gravitational potential energy is equal to zero. It is the speed needed to "break free" from the gravitational attraction of a massive body, without further propulsion, i.e., without spending more propellant.

References

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How fast is fuel escaping a rocket for it to reach the escape velocity 11 km/s?

I was having a discussion with a person and we were talking about whether or no the fuel had to be pushing out of a rocket at 11 km/s in order for the rocket to reach 11 km/s. I said it has to be because of the fact that there has to be an equal and…
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Why is an escape velocity needed?

This is probably a stupid question, so I apologise in advance, but why is it that you need to achieve a certain speed to leave the planet? I understand that an orbit needs a speed so that when you fall back towards earth you constantly "miss", but…
Alex Mann
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Laniakea Delta-V and Escape Velocity

We live in the Laniakea supercluster. Galaxies including the Milky Way are being pulled toward the "Great Attractor" in its center. Two questions (note that the answer to one can be used to derive the answer to the other): How fast are we moving…
geometrian
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Has any human had the capability of leaving the Solar System?

Inspired by Has any human ever had the choice to leave Earth permanently? and the answers and comments there, has any human had the capability of leaving the Solar System? I'm thinking of Apollo astronauts in particular. Was there enough fuel in…
Andrew Henle
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Neutrinos travel faster than the speed of light

If neutrinos travel faster than the speed of light does the calculation for the speed of light become obsolete. IE is there now a new formula for calculating speed/velocity through space/vacuum.
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