system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do space shuttles need to be vertically launched into space on a launch pad instead of going into space like an airplane?

Launching a shuttle in space costs a lot of money. Wouldn't it be reduced by a lot if it didn't need a launch pad and go to space like an airplane?
What is the reason why they don't do that?
Is it possible to go to space in an other way than vertically?
What are the problems we are encountering for not being able to do so?
Thanks in advance for your answers.
gpt
Air launch doesn't buy you much when you have to get going 17,000 mph to orbit. If you have a rocket launched from an aircraft, it's not going to be going much faster than 500 mph when it lights, and it's not going to be more than 6 or 7 miles up at that point. There's the Skylon spaceplane being developed in the UK, but that has some pretty steep technical challenges to overcome.

Getting up to 17,000 mph is always going to take a certain amount of fuel, and you have to bring the fuel with you as you're getting there. So the end result is powerful rocket engines that take you up out of the atmosphere quickly, and then you turn sideways to get into orbit. Actually it's a gradual turn that begins immediately after liftoff, so it's not really vertical for long.