Thread: Entering Space

I'm reading alot about the new falcon 9 rocket. Burning tons of rocket fuel in order to lift an object straight up at a 90 degree angle is still the way to go apparently? We have planes that can reach the edge of space. What is holding us back from creating a vessel that has the ability to take off just as say an SR71, reach a super high altitude off normal flight, and then engage some sort of booster to finish the job from the edge of our atmosphere? It seems like this would be a lot more cost effective when it comes to fuel.

Several variants of this solution have been prposed over the years. The UK Skylon project is an interesting example that has some prospect of success.

Here is a BBC news item on the craft and here is the parent company's site.