– could the space shuttle just fly into space like a plane, rather than being propelled vertically by rockets?

Question

– could the space shuttle just fly into space like a plane, rather than being propelled vertically by rockets?

In: 48

Answer 1

Technically, you could get into space by maintaining a consistent plane and peeling away from the earth due to the curvature. But losing the lift as the air thins and dissipates means that anything trying to do this would need rockets and wouldn’t achieve it as a plane would from a functional standpoint.