the rocket equation is the reason we don’t live in the star trek universe. because a rocket has to carry all its fuel, it grows exponentially the further you want it to go.
rocket that goes up a few hundred metres? size of a water bottle.
rocket that goes into orbit? size of a dinosaur.
rocket that goes to the moon and back? size of skyscraper.
if we lived on a smaller planet with weaker gravity (like mars), space travel would be relatively easy. if we lived on a larger planet with stronger gravity (like saturn), space travel would be impossible. instead we live on earth, where space travel is only just possible, but incredibly difficult.
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Some things that can prevent reusing model rockets: one or more fins fall off on launch resulting in uncontrolled flight and crash, nose-cone fails to come out, parachute and nose cone separate from fuselage, parachute lines get tangled, parachute melts (hole or lump), rocket lands on inaccessible roof, rocket lands in unclimbable tree, rocket lands in water and the fuselage soaks up water, rocket lands on road and gets run over.