How is it that we engineer vehicles in space to travel for millions of miles at absurdly fast speeds? When we can only have vehicles on earth (jets) travel for thousands of miles at lower speeds? Why is the gap SO BIG?

Question

We can send vehicles/rovers to space and have them travel at very high speeds for millions of miles to other planets. But vehicles on earth (jets/planes) have significantly shorter range and speed. Why is this? ELI5

In: Physics

Answer 1

How fast can you run 100 meters? How fast can you run 100 meters in waist deep water? There is more resistance when running through water than through the air. There is more resistance moving through air/earth’s atmosphere than moving through the empty vacuum of space.