From: bondage@frontiernet.net   
      
   Ian Stirling wrote:   
   >   
   > Can practical rocketry be done on the venusian surface, or is it basically   
   > out of the question.   
      
      Well...all the problems you have with altitude compensation on Earth,   
   are even greater there. Drag, too, I'd suspect. On the other hand, the   
   dense air would allow rather small wings for a given lift, at lower   
   altitudes.   
      
      Gravity is less of an issue, as Venus gravity is about .82 of Earth.   
      
      And keeping cryogenic propellants stored under Venus tempratures and   
   presures would be a respectable challenge, too.   
      
   > Might things like ejector ramjets be very efficient?   
      
      Where's the oxygen to burn fuel? 'Air breathing' engines do make that   
   assumption, but it's not true on all worlds.   
      
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