Escape Velocity |
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The formula for the escape velocity $v_e$ of a body of mass M and radius r is:
$V_e=\sqrt{\frac{2GM}{r}}$
where G is the Universal Gravitational Constant: $G=6.674\times10^{-11}$
The escape velocity from the surface of the Earth is 11.2 km/sec (7.0 miles/sec), not to be confused with orbital velocity at grazing altitude, which is smaller by a factor of $\sqrt{2}$