The image on the matresses probably got Laura in some way. ;)<br/><br/>On the weight to thrust, or fuel needed to lift weight, I respectfully disagree with both ladies. It takes more fuel to reach escape velocity than it does to maintain it once you have it. So, by the time that the shuttle has reached the half-way point to orbit, he's dumped more than 2/3rds of his fuel, and that loss of weight will increase the efficiency of the thrust as well as reduce the amount of weight that is being pushed into space.<br/><br/>That's part of why in the old days of multi-stage rockets that the first stage was lost so quickly in flight, it burned that fuel faster than that stored in the other stages, resulting in smaller stages as well.