08. Is it possible to make a spaceship like a plane? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Yes, and that may be necessary if it is to fly through atmospheres like those on Earth or on Mars. The NASA Space Shuttle orbiter is designed with wings and a tail because it must return from space and be steerable through the atmosphere to land on Earth. But if a spacecraft is to operate entirely in the vacuum of space, it need not be designed like a plane. For example, the Apollo lunar module that landed men on the moon worked just fine in space and on the lunar surface (where there is no atmosphere), but it didn't look much like a plane.

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Answer provided by Jon H. Brown

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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