Well, you can game it how you like.  This isn't a science paper, it's game rules. Saying in a space game that something can reach orbit is pretty clear to me, but as I said if you want to play it differently that's fine too.

Book 2, page 15 says: "air/rafts, GCarriers, and speeders can reach orbit, and are often launched to a world surface from orbit. If an ATV is carried, provision must be made to move it to a world surface if the ship is not streamlined, unless, of course, the vehicle is intended for use only on worlds without an atmosphere"

If an air/raft is "often launched to a world surface from orbit" and it's open topped I'd hate to be a passenger, but them's the rules.

From: xxxxxx@simplelists.com <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> on behalf of xxxxxx@gmail.com <xxxxxx@gmail.com>
Sent: 08 May 2020 10:56 PM
To: The Traveller Mailing List <xxxxxx@simplelists.com>
Subject: Re: [TML] Lifting off from planets
 
 Note that says that it can 'reach orbit' but not necessarily 'enter an orbital path'. That quote isn't solid proof they could orbit, but they can get to the height of an orbit to rendezvous. Now, maybe they can orbit... but that quote doesn't say that.

On Fri, May 8, 2020 at 5:54 PM James Davies <xxxxxx@hotmail.com> wrote:
CT Book 3, page 23 says:  An air/raft can reach orbit in several hours (number of hours equal to planetary size digit in the UPP); passengers must wear vacc suits and
interplanetary travel in an air/raft is not possible. 

From: xxxxxx@simplelists.com <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> on behalf of Vareck Bostrom <xxxxxx@gmail.com>
Sent: 08 May 2020 9:44 PM
To: xxxxxx@simplelists.com <xxxxxx@simplelists.com>
Subject: Re: [TML] Lifting off from planets
 
Which might have resulted from a misunderstanding of what "orbit" is. The car can lift itself to orbital distance but not attain orbital velocity and just fall back down again. 

On Fri, May 8, 2020 at 12:46 PM Phil Pugliese - philpugliese at yahoo.com (via tml list) <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote:
Yeah, that's what it said!

As I recall. it took a number of hours to get into 'space' but the basic idea was that the craft would start rising & just keep going up & up & up.

I remember thinking how weird it would be to see something like that.

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On Friday, May 8, 2020, 11:40:40 AM MST, Ethan McKinney <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:


Which is ... insane. You can take your family car to orbit?

I guess the Tesla Roadster SpaceX edition isn't that far off.

On Thu, May 7, 2020 at 3:52 PM Phil Pugliese - philpugliese at yahoo.com (via tml list) <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote:
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 05:01:02 PM MST, Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

On 07May2020 1007, Ethan McKinney wrote:
> Without contragravity, you get grav tanks with astounding acceleration ...
It's also been an explicit part of the OTU for a long, long time.
Air/rafts have always used it, and they date from the original LBBs. 
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>

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Yep, and there's even an explicit description of how to use an air/raft to get into orbit in one of the early pubs.
All that's needed extra is a vaccsuit!

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