Why is that so? It's not a particularly dumb question for many people that don't know anything about launch costs or the massive amount of energy. I'd bet many people think if you can get it out past the moon's orbit it should start to fall into the sun.
And even if it was a flippant question, showing exactly how wrong it is through an in-depth analysis is a great way to refute such positions.
It's a dumb question if you know anything about orbital mechanics, which the author purports to do.
> I'd bet many people think if you can get it out past the moon's orbit it should start to fall into the sun.
This thought is actually true, to a first-order approximation. If you time it right and use gravity slingshot(s) to bleed off velocity and/or adjust the direction towards the sun. The amount of delta-V needed after the moon is basically noise compared to the amount needed just to leave the surface of the earth (which is HUGE, as the author points out).
It's still probably cost prohibitive, but the delta-V required is a lot less than the author thinks.
And even if it was a flippant question, showing exactly how wrong it is through an in-depth analysis is a great way to refute such positions.