Of coarse the space shuttle begins launch at zero miles per hour but after about 8 seconds it is going about 100 mph (161 kph) 17 seconds into the launch it's going about 341 mph (549 kph)! Within 10 minutes it will be in orbit traveling about 17,500 mph (28,164 kph).
Since just before liftoff the speed is zero, the speed 'at liftoff' is just a tiny bit faster than zero. The speed gets faster and faster as time passes and the rocket moves up. The Space Shuttle goes from zero to 17,000 mph in 8.5 minutes. The speed of the gases exiting the Solid Rocket Booster motor is 6,000 mph -- three times the speed of a high-powered rifle.
During liftoff, a space shuttle travels at a speed of about 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h). This speed allows it to overcome Earth's gravity and reach orbit around the planet. The intense acceleration and velocity are necessary for a successful journey to space.
It takes around eight minutes for a space shuttle to reach orbit after taking off. Its average speed upon take of is 17,500 mph.
The space shuttle Columbia had a maximum speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour during its orbit in space.
Since the Shuttle at liftoff is traveling at 0 mph, and at orbit is traveling at 17,180 mph, a simple average would be [ (17,180+0) / 2 ] = 8,590 mph.
Since just before liftoff the speed is zero, the speed 'at liftoff' is just a tiny bit faster than zero. The speed gets faster and faster as time passes and the rocket moves up. The Space Shuttle goes from zero to 17,000 mph in 8.5 minutes. The speed of the gases exiting the Solid Rocket Booster motor is 6,000 mph -- three times the speed of a high-powered rifle.
During liftoff, a space shuttle travels at a speed of about 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h). This speed allows it to overcome Earth's gravity and reach orbit around the planet. The intense acceleration and velocity are necessary for a successful journey to space.
It takes around eight minutes for a space shuttle to reach orbit after taking off. Its average speed upon take of is 17,500 mph.
The space shuttle Columbia had a maximum speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour during its orbit in space.
Since the Shuttle at liftoff is traveling at 0 mph, and at orbit is traveling at 17,180 mph, a simple average would be [ (17,180+0) / 2 ] = 8,590 mph.
The maximum speed of a space shuttle during launch is approximately 17,500 miles per hour, achieved during the ascent to low Earth orbit. Once in orbit, the shuttle travels at an average speed of around 17,500 to 18,000 miles per hour in order to remain in orbit around the Earth.
It has to overcome its' own weight and obtain a speed of 17,500 miles an hour to escape the Earths' gravitational pull. That is 3.38 x 1012 Joules. 3,380,000,000,000 joules.
The Space Shuttle can travel over 17,500 MPH
Mach 5, 5 times faster than the speed of sound!
The fastest space shuttle was the Space Shuttle Columbia, which reached a top speed of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour) during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
The shuttle's speed is close to 230 km an hour so that is the way it can orbit hte earth close to 50 times a day.
During launch the space shuttle speeds up to 17500 MPH. In orbit the space station is going about the same speed. So the shuttle does not have to slow down much. At docking the relative speed of the ISS and shuttle is about 1-2 inchs per second.