Why do space rockets not take off like planes (i.e. straight up vs sideways and up)?
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They launch straight up because that’s the quickest way to get out of the thickest part of the atmosphere, and thus to minimize drag due to air resistance. The whole goal here is to go as fast as possible as quickly as possible to achieve escape velocity while using the least amount of fuel, so getting out the atmosphere directly makes the most sense. They do however then follow curved trajectories to orbit. In theory, you could launch space vehicles like planes down a runway, the problem is achieving escape velocity while going through more of the atmosphere. If the atmosphere were thinner, like on the moon or mars, or we had radically more efficient propulsion systems, maybe that would be viable.
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