[garmaine]

No, it’s the things you’re “ignoring” which keep it on the ground. A solar electric thruster provides less thrust than the surface weight of the spacecraft it is pushing, but it is nevertheless able to push a probe to escape velocity and beyond over months or years of continuous thrust.

[muyyatin]

If it's in orbit, yes. I thought the discussion was based on something sitting on the surface of the Earth.

[garmaine]

That’s what I was talking about.