In a recent post, I calculated the \(\Delta v\) of an unladen Saturn V rocket and concluded that the maximum speed of such a vehicle, when launching from Earth, is over \(36,000\,\mathrm\). As I explained then, that is fast, but not fast enough for our purpose! Furthermore, as is typically the case, we want to use our rocket to carry something into space, and the addition of a payload will slow us down even more!