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How long does it take for a spaceship to get out of orbit?
“If you think about it, we’re accelerating a 4-1/2 million pound system from zero miles per hour to its orbital velocity of 17,500 miles per hour in those 8-1/2 minutes. So it’s a heck of a ride for the astronauts,” explained Mike Leinbach, a launch director at NASA.
Can you escape Earth’s gravity by going into orbit Why or why not?
You’d have to go up a very long way indeed to escape the earths gravity. An orbiting object has not escaped gravity, it is in constant freefall towards the earth. As long as it goes fast enough, it never reaches the ground because the earth curves away beneath it.
Why can satellites travel so fast out in space and not burn up?
That’s because of gravity—the same force that holds us on Earth and keeps us all from floating away. To get into orbit, satellites first have to launch on a rocket. A rocket can go 25,000 miles per hour! That’s fast enough to overcome the strong pull of gravity and leave Earth’s atmosphere.
How Fast Is escape velocity in mph?
For example, the escape speed from Earth’s surface is about 11.186 km/s (40,270 km/h; 25,020 mph; 36,700 ft/s).
How does a spacecraft slow down in orbit?
A: To slow down from 28,200 km/h (17,500 mph) in orbit to a safe landing speed, a spacecraft has to convert all its energy into heat. The heating of the spacecraft and its surroundings results from the formation of shock waves and friction as it moved through the Earth’s atmosphere.
How do spacecrafts use energy in orbit?
A spacecraft uses most of its energy getting up into space. With no drag to overcome once in orbit, the spacecraft can then “coast” without expending any more energy. But how can you change a spacecraft’s course?
How do you increase the speed of a spacecraft?
If you want to speed up, you have to fire the thrusters at the front of your spacecraft. This drops you into a lower orbit and increases your speed. If you fire the thrusters at the back of your spacecraft you would raise your spacecraft to a higher orbit, and slow down.
How does a spacecraft rotate?
To rotate your spacecraft, you fire a pair of sideward-pointed thrusters located near opposite sides of the spacecraft. To stop rotating, you fire thrusters aimed in the opposite direction.