– Okay, so the solar system is hurtling through space at around 200km/s and by extension so are the planets. I get that we can launch a rocket and land it on another planet, but does this mean that the rocket would also be travelling at approx 200km/s as well?

Question

And additionally, would it ever be possible to launch something into deep space and get entirely left in the dust by the solar system whizzing by? Completely untethered from its gravity?

In: 9

Answer 1

Relative to the centre of the galaxy, yes, but remember that all velocities are defined relative to something else, and that any reference frame is just as good as any other reference frame. So it’s not actually wrong to ignore that 200 km/s and just talk about velocities relative to the planets. That’s all that matters when you’re staying within the Solar system