Sirhc978 t1_j296qrr wrote
They basically mean, we can't do it with our current rocket technology. Our rockets do the bare minimum to get into low earth orbit as it is. They are also horribly inefficient. Most rockets are something like 95% fuel, and 5% 'rocket'. If earth was 50% larger, we would need some alternative to chemical rockets. A lot of people suggest nuclear powered ones, which are possible, but have never really been tested.
In the end, rockets would not be impossible, they would just need to be different from the technology we currently use.
dimonium_anonimo t1_j297p18 wrote
Also, I think there's some treaty that says we can't. I mean, I'm just going off of what my high school physics teacher said, but I remember him telling us about a ship that rides the wave of nuclear fission, but it never got to fly because we can't detonate nukes in space or something.
Sirhc978 t1_j2984zp wrote
Yeah it is called The Outer Space Treaty. However there is something called a nuclear salt-water rocket which doesn't use explosions.
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