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To: Spirochete

Hmmm...hadn’t factored in the decreasing weight of the vehicle as fuel is consumbed. Thanks for the insight.


32 posted on 07/29/2015 1:07:19 PM PDT by Sergio (An object at rest cannot be stopped! - The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight)
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To: Sergio

Yeah, that is a factor that makes multi-stage rockets more efficient, because they aren’t just burning the fuel, but also dropping the empty tanks off regularly.

Also, there is a diminishing return to take into account, for every ounce of fuel you add to the vehicle, you can get more acceleration, but it will also take more acceleration to get it into orbit. After a certain point, making the rocket bigger will just make it less efficient.


33 posted on 07/29/2015 1:35:34 PM PDT by Boogieman
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