Why can spaceships take off like planes?

The simple answer is an airplane does not go any faster than 500-600 mph. As a pilot of a space shuttle though, you want to get out of the atmosphere as soon as practically possible, and for that, you need a very high velocity so as to escape the Earth’s gravitational pull.

Are Sstos possible?

To date, no Earth-launched SSTO launch vehicles have ever been flown; orbital launches from Earth have been performed by either fully or partially expendable multi-stage rockets. It is considered to be marginally possible to launch a single-stage-to-orbit chemically-fueled spacecraft from Earth.

Do space shuttles fly themselves?

NASA space shuttles always have been capable of landing themselves, in theory at least. But a human has been at the controls since the very first test flight. (The former Soviet Union’s shuttle prototype, known as Buran, landed without a crew during its first and only test flight in November 1988.)

Can rockets remove Like planes?

A rocket does not have wings which would generate lift so it cannot “take off” like a conventional aircraft does. It is also intended to go into orbit or fly a parabolic trajectory to hit a target somewhere down range and the most efficient way to do that is to launch it straight up.

Can Starship be SSTO?

Previously in 2018 Musk had stated on Twitter that Starship would be technically capable of SSTO, but only with no payload (making it entirely pointless to try to use Starship that way).

Could the space shuttle fly without a crew?

In theory, the shuttle could carry some payloads into orbit without the aid of astronauts, reducing the repercussions from a Challenger-type disaster. Besides, astronauts love to fly and land the shuttle.

How fast does a space shuttle go during take off?

The ascent phase begins at liftoff and ends at insertion into a circular or elliptical orbit around the Earth. To reach the minimum altitude required to orbit the Earth, the space shuttle must accelerate from zero to 8,000 meters per second (almost 18,000 miles per hour) in eight and a half minutes.

Can a shuttle take off from a runway?

No it cannot take off from a runway. Planes that take off have airfoil shaped wings designed so that air moves at a different rate over the top than the bottom to create lift. The shuttles are not designed like that, they are shaped for gliding and not providing lift. If you have enough power you can make a barn door fly.

Can we launch a space shuttle from an airplane?

All in all, launching a space shuttle by making it take off from a runway like an airplane is not an entirely ridiculous idea, but the technical ramifications of such a launch are far too complex, and the costs associated are much, much higher than the conventional vertical launch.

Where do Space Shuttles finish their journey?

Meanwhile, support crews are ready and eager to usher the astronauts in on the last leg of their journey. The preferred finish line is the shuttle’s home base at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida — a 15,000-foot-long runway that is about as wide as the length of a football field.

Why do space shuttles have stubby wings?

The stubby wings of the space shuttle are not meant to make it fly like an airplane. Furthermore, the stubby wings of a space shuttle are not designed to make it lift like an airplane. Instead, they are there for a number of other functions, including facilitating a controlled approach during re-entry and so on.