Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

BeepBlipBlapBloop t1_iy4h108 wrote

Most of the interesting things are on the plane where the solar system orbits the sun. There's not a lot of reason to go "off the disc", and there has to be a reason in space travel, since resources are so scarce and costs are so high.

8

decomposition_ t1_iy4m2kb wrote

To add on to other peoples answers, within our own solar system everything is for the most part going to be on the same plane +/- a certain amount of degrees because of angular momentum when the solar system first formed. There might be other systems that are “up” and “down” but intentionally reaching other systems is out of mankind’s scope for now.

2

DreamChaserSt t1_iy4m52h wrote

Well, we have some polar satellites, and those go 'up/down,' but for the most part, all planets are roughly in the same disc, so that's where we aim our spacecraft. Juno had to move along that path to reach Jupiter, but its orbit is polar, and highly elliptical.

But spacecraft don't go straight, their trajectories curve, and it takes less energy to follow the path of Earth's rotation/orbit than it takes to go perpendicular to it.

2

Ape_Togetha_Strong t1_iy4m796 wrote

How did you conclude that we "go in a straight line straight ahead"?

7

vette91 t1_iy4mri4 wrote

Take a look at this 3d map of the solar system. Almost everything interesting is "straight" or close to.

https://theskylive.com/3dsolarsystem Why would we explore empty space? We are always going towards something not towards nothing

7

asscheeseterps710 t1_iy4w2ag wrote

Space is hard for the human Brain to comprehend its doesn’t have a up or down

0

space-ModTeam t1_iy5c4dl wrote

Hello u/Our_Lord_Vader, your submission "Space exploration" has been removed from r/space because:

  • Such questions should be asked in the "All space questions" thread stickied at the top of the sub.

Please read the rules in the sidebar and check r/space for duplicate submissions before posting. If you have any questions about this removal please message the r/space moderators. Thank you.

1