An atmosphere reduces the amount of fuel needed to land, because you can use aer...

		liminvorous 4 days ago \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: SpaceX Super Heavy splashes down in the gulf, canc... An atmosphere reduces the amount of fuel needed to land, because you can use aerobraking to slow down rather than carry fuel to do it. See the Apollo return capsule, which landed without any rockets, only parachutes and a heat shield.