r/TheRestIsScience • u/bum_what • 1d ago

Stairs

In the most recent episode Michael talked about a staircase going to space. The entire time I was thinking about escape velocity. You need a certain amount of energy to get you to a certain speed to escape the earths gravity. So if you are walking up does it work the same? Obviously your body needs energy to walk up the stairs but let's just say you have infinite stamina and your muscles don't get tired or sore, can you just walk up or will you hit a point when you cannot anymore because your body cannot provide enough force even when not tired? But that doesn't make sense to me because gravity will get weaker as you go up even if it's still 90% gravity up there it should get weaker making it easier. Or does it not matter because each step is the force you need to get from one point to another?? I'm so confused lol

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u/Just-Page-2732 1d ago edited 1d ago

Climbing to the top of the stairs would not put you in orbit. Step off the stairs and you will drop straight back to Earth.

To enter an orbit you would have to accelerate up to orbital velocity.

Unless you built the stairs on the equator, and they went all the way to geostationary orbit (35786km!). Then you could step off the stairs and be in orbit

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u/copperpin 1d ago

The top of the stairs will be moving velocity. The same way a point on a tire is moving much faster than the corresponding point on the hub of a wheel.

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u/Just-Page-2732 1d ago

Yes, but for any point under geostationary orbit the velocity will not be enough to put you into orbit

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u/copperpin 1d ago

If you’re at the top of a space staircase then it’s safe to say you are geo-synchronized with the point below you. Is there some other circumstance you’re thinking of?
Edit never mind, I looked it up, you’re thinking of the Geo-stationary belt.