> *I imagine there's a lot less fuel required to land than is required to ta...

		Florin_Andrei on April 23, 2013 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: SpaceX Grasshopper Flies High > I imagine there's a lot less fuel required to land than is required to take off. Right. At take off, the delta vee is the escape velocity PLUS all the losses due to friction, which are tremendous. At landing, the delta vee is only equal to terminal velocity. EDIT: Okay, plus some flying time on top of the landing point.

Another way to state this: at launch, air resistance is your enemy. When landing, it's your friend.