fireballs619
Occam's Taser
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Just a question I had, and I thought I would ask.
What is the absolute smallest theoretical rocket that would be able to achieve an orbit? And what factors contribute to this limit? What setup for this 'smallest' rocket be to send a pea-sized payload to orbit?
Some of the things I thought of where that volume doesn't scale linearly along with surface area. So a larger surface area relative to the size would mean much more relative air resistance, no? Also, although I am not quite so sure about this part, since the rocket is smaller, wouldn't the air seem to be 'thicker' in a relative sense? Any other restraints? Just exploring ideas here
What is the absolute smallest theoretical rocket that would be able to achieve an orbit? And what factors contribute to this limit? What setup for this 'smallest' rocket be to send a pea-sized payload to orbit?
Some of the things I thought of where that volume doesn't scale linearly along with surface area. So a larger surface area relative to the size would mean much more relative air resistance, no? Also, although I am not quite so sure about this part, since the rocket is smaller, wouldn't the air seem to be 'thicker' in a relative sense? Any other restraints? Just exploring ideas here
