Escape velocity. I don't get it.
Why do you need to travel at 10,000 mph to "break" the tie with Earth's gravity?
If there was a ladder that extended 100 miles would you have to climb it at 10000mph?
Isn't it just the distance from Earth that matters, Earth's gravity fades, why do we need to cover the distance at speed?
An aircraft can pull itself away from earth surface ( where gravity is strongest) with compatibly little energy, it can almost fly straight up, so, if there was an atmosphere could it potter along at 1000ft a minute into space?
Mjb