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1. raverbashing · 1790022102 · focus · HN ↗

   Honestly this is not surprising, and as much as politics suck, the rocket equation sucks harder

   Mars has a little bit less gravity than Earth

   How big would a rocket need to be even to send a small payload (let's think 20kg/45lb) even suborbitally so that it can be caught by another spaceship

   Now check how big a rocket has to be to send all of that from Earth

   You'd probably have to send this on Starship. And refuel it while on orbit

   1. someothherguyy · 1790040556 · focus · HN ↗

      <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;scholar.google.com&#x2F;scholar?oi=gsb20&amp;q=Mars%20Sample%20Return%20spacecraft%20systems%20architecture&amp;lookup_url=https%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fdocument%2F879302&amp;lookup=0&amp;hl=en" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;scholar.google.com&#x2F;scholar?oi=gsb20&amp;q=Mars%20Sample%...

      That paper outlines a plan to do it, which people have been trying to do since the 70s

      Here is one that will launch soon: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tianwen-3" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tianwen-3

      1. raverbashing · 1790058541 · focus · HN ↗

         &gt; The mission consists of 15 different vehicles and spacecraft plus two launch vehicles

         Yeah still looks like an overcomplicated project

         Maybe that&#x27;s why China can make it work

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