why cant a flying object just leave the atmosphere at a slower speed? why does it need to achieve ‘escape velocity’? if a rocket goes straight up at 100kmph without stopping, it should escape the atmosphere eventually right?
In: Physics
Yea, but getting into orbit isn’t about just getting out of the atmosphere, it’s about going sideways really fast. If you went straight up at 100km/h you’d be in space in about an hour but you’d fall right back down as soon as you turned off your engines.
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