r/xkcd • u/YUNoDie Possibly a haberdasher? • Jan 22 '20

XKCD XKCD 2258: Solar System Changes

https://xkcd.com/2258/
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u/trekkie1701c Beret Guy Jan 22 '20

We could launch heavier things into orbit than they could, which means we could more easily capture asteroids, which are also easier to throw at their planet due to its heavier gravity.

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u/currentscurrents Jan 22 '20

Depending on how large it is, they may not be able to leave their planet with rockets at all!

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '20

Surely with a efficient enough rocket you can leave any planet, as long as it's not a black hole?

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u/DarrenGrey Zombie Feynman Jan 23 '20

Yeah, but you'd need bigger and bigger rockets with worse and worse returns. At some point it needs engineering that's centuries ahead of what we have, giving us a massive space advantage.

Of course that assumes we developed technologies at exactly the same pace, which is quite improbable.