How Fast Does A Space Shuttle Travel
The aircraft is said to be hypersonic.
How fast does a space shuttle travel. As a spacecraft re enters the earth s atmosphere it is traveling very much faster than the speed of sound. The speed of a space shuttle in orbit is about 17 580 miles an hour 7860 m s in orbit space shuttle microsoft encarta 98 encyclopedia. Typical low earth orbit re entry speeds are near 17 500 mph and the mach number m is nearly twenty five m 25.
The space shuttle has a reentry speed of about 17 000 miles per hour. While in orbit the space shuttle travels around earth at a speed of about 17 500 miles 28 000 kilometers per hour. Like any other object in low earth orbit a shuttle must reach speeds of about 17 500 miles per hour 28 000 kilometers per hour to remain in orbit.
The exact speed depends on the shuttles orbital altitude which normally ranges from 190 miles to 330 miles 304 kilometers to 528 kilometers above sea level depending on its mission. Shuttle atlantis launches with both the main engines and solid rocket boosters operating. Because it is moving at about 17 000 mph 28 000 km h the orbiter hits air molecules and builds up heat from friction approximately 3000 degrees f or 1650 degrees c.
One of the space shuttle s main engines photo courtesy nasa to lift the 4 5 million pound 2 05 million kg shuttle from the pad to orbit 115 to 400 miles 185 to 643 km above the earth the shuttle uses the following components. To achieve orbit the shuttle must accelerate from zero to a speed of almost 28 968 kilometers per hour 18 000 miles per hour a speed nine times as fast as the average rifle bullet.