So, while FH-85 wouldn't know this but the engineers and pilots would and I was kinda wondering... How are we trying to escape the planet's gravity well?
a) O --- Like this? pointing out engines towards the planet and burning, maybe possible on a normal planet with our super powerful engines
b) O | Like this? where we get up enough speed to miss the planet, but continue to fall around it (IE: Achieve orbit). Which normally takes like a millionth of the power of the first method.
Just because it actually matters if our engines can't put out the force required to push us directly away, we can possibly still achieve a stable orbit, and from what's been it sounds a little like we've been trying to push directly away.
KSP makes me happy.