So he is going to escape earths gravity by pressurizing a pop bottle! A quick (and probably incorrect) approximation to how much energy that would require. On a "per stage" basis each pop bottle weighs 60 grams and requires an escape velocity of 11.2 km/s at the earths surface. The amount of kinetic energy is E = 0.5*m*v^2 = 0.5*(0.06)*(11.2*10^3)^2 = 15*10^6 J or 15 MJ!!! Me thinks the bottle will pop before being pressurized to that energy level. (If my napkin calculation is anywhere near right).
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So he is going to escape earths gravity by pressurizing a pop bottle! A quick (and probably incorrect) approximation to how much energy that would require. On a "per stage" basis each pop bottle weighs 60 grams and requires an escape velocity of 11.2 km/s at the earths surface. The amount of kinetic energy is E = 0.5*m*v^2 = 0.5*(0.06)*(11.2*10^3)^2 = 15*10^6 J or 15 MJ!!! Me thinks the bottle will pop before being pressurized to that energy level. (If my napkin calculation is anywhere near right).