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?

Question

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

Answer 1

You’re right, escape velocity is just a term for the initial speed something would need to escape earth’s gravitational pull to such an extend that it reaches an orbit. But we don’t just toss things into space, as that would result in a ridiculous force on the spacecraft and the people in it. Keep in mind that the escape velocity gets lower as you go higher.