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"Escape velocity" is a misnomer; there isn't any such thing. "Escape velocity" is the speed that it would take a projectile to escape completely from the Earth's gravity, IF IT WERE FIRED FROM THE SURFACE FROM A CANNON.

The "escape velocity" from Earth is about 7 miles per second, or 25,000 miles per hour. But the Apollo spacecraft that went to the Moon didn't go anywhere near that speed. It didn't have to, because it was propelled by a rocket engine. With a big enough engine and enough fuel, you could "escape" from the Earth at 5 miles per hour, or less. It would be TERRIBLY wasteful of fuel, which is why we don't do it that way.

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14y ago

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