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Q:
What are differences between an aircraft and spacecraft?
A:
Aircraft fly through air and spacecraft fly in space.
In space, there is no air, so a spacecraft cannot be designed the same as an aircraft. There won't be drag or lift, so planes cannot fly. A spacecraft will need to rely on thrust to manuever safely. Also, spacecraft have to carry their own air along in the form of oxidizer, since there is no air to make the engines work. That's why jet engines can't work in space, so rocket engines must be used instead.
Posted on July 25, 2013 at 4:25 pm
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