Space Shuttle: launch speed
The start of a space shuttle was a spectacular event that cast a spell over thousands. The speed of the space shuttle taking off is lower than assumed by laypeople.
Space Shuttle - first flight in 1981
- Even after the last space shuttle launch, this remains the most complex aircraft of all time. When the space shuttles were developed over 30 years ago, they should start weekly and thus minimize the costs by a factor of ten compared to an Apollo mission.
- But it quickly became apparent that this ambitious goal could not be achieved. A mission cost over a billion dollars. Still, every dollar was wisely invested, given the scientific benefits of the missions.
- For example, the Hubble space telescope was put into orbit, which is the modern one astronomy has revolutionized. The construction of the ISS would not have been possible without the shuttle.
- The start of a shuttle was probably the most exciting phase of the entire mission for the observer. It started from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle system consists of the space shuttle, an external tank and two solid rocket rockets.
Start with 80 km / h
- During take-off, the main engines located under the space shuttle fire with a delay of 120 milliseconds, before the two lateral solid fuel pumps fire 6.6 seconds later and the shuttle takes off.
- When leaving the launch tower, the spaceship initially has a speed of around 80 km / h, according to The shuttle accelerated to 140 km / h in seven seconds and breaks through it after one minute Sound barrier.
- Nine tons of fuel are now burned per second, and after 90 seconds the crew flies at twice the speed of sound at an altitude of 20 kilometers in the direction of space.
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Speed almost unimaginable
- The astronauts are pressed into their seats with three times their own body weight, before the solid rockets on the sides burn out and are thrown off after 125 seconds. These fall attached to parachutes into the Atlantic, where they are recovered by ship and recycled up to 20 times.
- Only 4 minutes after the start the speed is 8,000 km / h, after 6 minutes already 16,000 km / h. The external tank is thrown off after 9 minutes and burns up in the atmosphere. The space shuttle has reached orbit at a speed of 28,900 km / h, which corresponds to almost 8 km / sec.
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