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In order to achieve the velocity required to attain low earth orbit the space shuttle is accelerated to approx 17,500 mph by the solid fuel rocket boosters.
The space shuttle is designed to go up into orbit and return to earth and therefore does not ever escape from Earth's gravity.
To answer the question and to make sure everyone understands, let's go back to basics. No matter where in the universe there is always gravity:
F = G ((m1*m2)/r^2)
F: is the gravitational force felt.
G: is the gravitational constant
m1 and m2: are the masses of the two objects
r: the distance between the two objects.
We can see with this equation that the further away from the Earth you get (r gets bigger) the weaker the force of gravity will be (F gets closer and closer to zero but never reaches it).
This may sound weird but the space shuttle stays in orbit because of gravity. iif you let go of an object, the object will fall straight down. However if you through it the object with a certain force, the object will fall further away and if we could give it enough force to reach a speed of 8 m/s then the object would constantly continue to fall around the Earth.
take a look at the image on this page and you should understand:
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newtongrav.html
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Why must the space shuttle go so fast?
It has to move fast so it can escape gravity's pull on the shuttle.
Why does a space shuttle need to travel so fast when entering earths atmosphere?
Although it reaches incredible speeds, a Space Shuttle is not going fast when it enters the atmosphere. The gravitational pull of Earth, or just gravity, are pulling down on the space shuttle with immense force.
How fast does a space shuttle need to be traveling when it leaves the earths atmosphere?
It has to travel at least 17,000MPH.
How fast does a space shuttle reenter the earths atmosphere?
About thirty times the speed of sound, Mach 30 approx.
How fast does a space shuttle travel in earths atmosphere?
the history channal said around 17,880 mph for any rocket
How fast does a space shuttle travel in 500 seconds?
To escape the Earths gravity the shuttle goes 17,500 miles an hour. You can use that value to figure out how far it goes in 500 seconds.
Why must the space shuttle go so fast?
It has to move fast so it can escape gravity's pull on the shuttle.
Why does a space shuttle need to travel so fast when entering earths atmosphere?
Although it reaches incredible speeds, a Space Shuttle is not going fast when it enters the atmosphere. The gravitational pull of Earth, or just gravity, are pulling down on the space shuttle with immense force.
Why does a space shuttle have to travel so fast?
Space shuttles must travel at 11km/s so that they can escape the force of gravity. the force of gravity is approximately 9.81. If you don't travel at a greater speed than the force of gravity, the rocket will not launch.
How fast does a space shuttle need to be traveling when it leaves the earths atmosphere?
It has to travel at least 17,000MPH.
How fast does a space shuttle reenter the earths atmosphere?
About thirty times the speed of sound, Mach 30 approx.
How fast does a space shuttle travel in earths atmosphere?
the history channal said around 17,880 mph for any rocket
How fast does something need to be to escape the gravity of a black hole?
In order to escape the gravity of a black hole, an object would have to travel faster than the speed of light - something that is impossible.
How is a rocket able to escape earth's gravity?
It can never escape it entirely. It can, however, travel fast enough that the increasing distance outweighs the effect of the decreasing gravity. On earth, this velocity is about seven miles per second.
Why do space shuttles heat up when they re-enter into the earths atmosphere?
When the shuttle goes from the vacuum of space and enters the earths atmosphere, it heats up because of simple friction. The friction is from the shuttle going so fast and hitting the atmosphere. Same reason you sometimes see meteor showers.
How fast do spaceships go?
To break the pull of gravity and escape the earth's pull (escape velocity) you have to travel 7 miles per second or 25,000 mph.
How fast does the average spaceship go?
To break the pull of gravity and escape the earth's pull (escape velocity) you have to travel 7 miles per second or 25,000 mph.
