Why do space rockets not take off like planes (i.e. straight up vs sideways and up)?
In: 41
The biggest problem with getting an object into orbit isn’t getting high enough, it’s going fast enough to stay there. A polar orbit requires a speed of about 17,000mph relative to earth’s surface.
Speeds above about 600mph become problematic while in earth’s atmosphere. Even the SR-71, flying at 90,000 feet at 2400mph, experienced such extreme air resistance that most of the plane was made of titanium – aluminium would have melted, and steel was too heavy. Flying up to orbit requires going 6-7x that speed, and the power requirements, and use of fuel, become absolutely vast.
A vertical launch profile allows the vehicle to punch through earth’s atmosphere as early and as quickly as possible. This means as little fuel as possible is wasted fighting air resistance and as much as possible can go towards gaining altitude and speed.
Latest Answers