– 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

In relation to universal space, yes, the rocket would be traveling as fast as the galaxy is moving, as everything in the solar system is already traveling that fast. Think of two pickup trucks driving next to each other, both traveling down a highway at 100 MPH. A guy in the back of Pickup A tosses a basketball to a guy in the back of Pickup B. The guy isn’t throwing the basketball at 100 MPH, but the basketball is still traveling 100 MPH, because the pickup trucks are driving 100 MPH.