What is the max speed of a space Shuttle?

about 17,500 miles per hour
What is its altitude? How much fuel does it use? A. Like any other object in low-Earth orbit, a Space Shuttle must reach speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour) to remain in orbit.

Why does the space Shuttle travel so fast?

The reason for the fast speed is to counteract gravity pulling things back to Earth. When the shuttle or any other object is put into space the moment the rocket engines are shut down the shuttle or any object starts falling back to Earth at 33 feet per second per second due to gravity.

How is the space Shuttle able to leave Earth’s surface?

The vehicle requires an enormous amount of fuel to break through Earth’s gravitational pull. All that fuel adds significant weight to the spacecraft, and when an object is heavier, it takes more thrust to lift it.

How does the Shuttle survive re entry?

The heat is so great during re-entry that a special thermal protection system is used to keep the spacecraft intact. On the Shuttle, special silicon tiles are placed on the aluminum skin to insulate the skin. On the leading edge of the wings, carbon-cabon composite material is used to withstand the heat.

What is the fastest moving space vehicle ever made?

NASA solar probe becomes fastest object ever built as it ‘touches…

• Fastest human-made object: 244,255 mph (393,044 km/h).
• Closest spacecraft to the sun: 11.6 million miles (18.6 million kilometers).

How fast does a space shuttle travel to Mars?

Cruise. The cruise phase begins after the spacecraft separates from the rocket, soon after launch. The spacecraft departs Earth at a speed of about 24,600 mph (about 39,600 kph). The trip to Mars will take about seven months and about 300 million miles (480 million kilometers).

How did the space shuttle re enter the atmosphere and land?

Descent through atmosphere: After it was safely out of orbit, the shuttle turned nose-first again and entered the atmosphere belly-down (like a belly-flop) to take advantage of drag with its blunt bottom. Computers pulled the nose up to an angle of attack (angle of descent) of about 40 degrees.

How fast is Helios?

The probes set a maximum speed record for spacecraft of 252,792 km/h (157,078 mph; 70,220 m/s).

How fast does the space shuttle travel while in space?

While in orbit, the space shuttle travels around Earth at a speed of about 17,500 miles (28,000 kilometers) per hour . At this speed, the crew can see a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. The space shuttle Endeavour glides back to Earth on Jan. 20, 1996, after nine days in space on the STS-72 mission.

Which is the fastest Space Shuttle?

Fastest Space Shuttle in the World. According to space.com, “NASA has billed New Horizons as the fastest spacecraft ever launched from Earth. According to the mission team, the probe is now speeding through space at 34,426 mph (55,404 kph) relative to the sun.” The New Horizon still has about one billion miles to go before it reaches Pluto,…

What speed does the Space Shuttle go during launch?

The Space Shuttle speed goes from 0 mph to 17,500 mph in 8.5 minutes (this is when the external fuel tank separates from the Shuttle). Two minutes after launch the solid rocket boosters separate; at this time the speed is 3,438 mph and increasing rapidly. While in orbit the Shuttle’s speed is 17,500 mph.

How heavy is the Space Shuttle?

The Space Shuttle had a total mass of about 2,000 tonnes with a thrust of about 30,250kN at sea-level while the Falcon Heavy “only” has about 1,400 tonnes with a thrust of about 22,800kN at sea-level.