Eli5: Why can’t airplanes get into space?

1.81K views

Why is it a rocket🚀 is used to go straight up into outer space and not just use an airplane ✈️ ? I’m sure there is a good reason but it seems that the gradual assent would be preferred over the straight up approach.

In: Engineering

24 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

1. They work by moving air through their engines. The less air, the less effective their engines are.

2. They work by moving air over their wings. The less air, the less lift.

The combination of the two factors above explains why each model of aircraft has a different ‘ceiling’.

You are viewing 1 out of 24 answers, click here to view all answers.