On: Background on the Falcon 9 Launch

[logicallee]

How fast do you have to go? Easy. Look out at the horizon far enough that you can see it drop (for example a mountain etc). You have to go so fast that in the time it takes you to reach that point, you only drop by the amount the horizon falls.

[chrisseaton → logicallee]

Could you make a cruise missile that didn't need any wings or other surfaces for lift - only forward propulsion - that just went so fast that it was effectively in orbit, but nor far above the ground?

[lordnacho → chrisseaton]

The loss from atmospheric drag would be enormous. If you were on a planet with no atmosphere it would be no different from any other orbit though.

[iamjs → lordnacho]

You could do this on the moon, for example

[jerf → chrisseaton]

In addition to lordnacho's point, see things like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 .

You can't stay in orbit with plane wings because of air resistance, and with so little air you need rocket propulsion (for now, at least). But that's not to say there aren't some interesting games to be played with wings on the way up.