Even older shuttles will get you into space pretty quickly Show
 The trick to any space launch is getting the spacecraft off the ground in the first place. It takes a lot of energy to fight back against the Earth's gravitational pull. But once you've started - you're going to go up pretty quickly. So, how long does it take to get into space? Firstly, let's definite what "space" is. If we're talking about the end of the Earth's atmosphere, it's generally accepted to be about 100km (62 miles) upwards. This is called the Karman Line. It means you've gone past the Thermosphere and are now into the Exosphere. For a bit of context, the International Space Station is orbiting the planet at between 435km (205 miles) and 435km (270 miles) of altitude. How long does it take to get to space?
The Long March-2F carrier rocket carrying China's Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft blasts off from the launch pad ( Image: The American shuttle - which has now been retired - would cross the Karman Line at two minutes and 30 seconds after launch. It would get up to the altitude of the International Space Shuttle and into proper orbit after about eight minutes and thirty seconds. Russian Soyuz rockets would make the trip in about the same time. For a bit of a comparison, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy (the most powerful operational rocket in the world) launch crossed the Karman Line after 3 minutes and 24 seconds. It was carrying an electric sports car and backed it up with 2.9 million pounds of thrust from a couple of rocket boosters and a core engine. That's roughly equivalent to 18 Boeing 747 jumbo jets all facing directly upwards. How does it feel for the astronauts?
Russia's brand new Soyuz rocket lifts off from Baikonur, taking 3-man crew to ISS ( Image: Getting into space is a pretty demanding journey - and it takes a physical and mental toll on astronauts. "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. "They typically experience about three times the force of gravity during most of the ascent, and once we reach orbit, when the main engines cut off, they go from that three-G acceleration to zero acceleration virtually instantaneously, and that's when they become weightless on orbit. Staying in orbitOnce astronauts are in orbit and aboard the space station, they have to keep it going at a certain speed to stay up there. Otherwise you start getting space stations raining down on the planet. The ISS is moving at 28,163 kph (17,500mph) in orbit around the Earth. Of course, the astronauts aboard won't feel this speed - the only sign they have is looking down to see planet Earth rotating beneath them. Will regular people get to go into space?One day - but probably not for a long time. Amusingly, one US-based start-up company has an ambitious plan to launch a "luxury hotel" into low-Earth orbit. The "Aurora Station" will give space tourists an amazing view of planet of Earth and is supposed to be an "affordable" way for citizens to enjoy space. Of course, with a twelve night stay aboard starting at around $9.5 million (£6.8 million) we'd take issue with the affordable part. "We are launching the first-ever affordable luxury space hotel," said Frank Bunger, the CEO and founder of Orion Span - the start-up behind the idea. Speaking at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, California, Bunger explained that the company was building the hotel itself and that, when finished, it'll be about the size of a large private jet.
Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
17:35, Sat, May 30, 2020 | UPDATED: 17:36, Sat, May 30, 2020 Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info A SpaceX landmark rocket will be sent into space on Saturday in a historic first launch, after bad weather prevented the first launch of NASA astronauts from US soil in nine years. Elon Musk's plans to send two Nasa astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) will take place on May 30 at 9.33pm BST (3.22pm EDT).
TrendingThe delay was decided just minutes before lift-off on Wednesday. SpaceX wrote on Twitter: “Standing down from launch today due to unfavorable weather in the flight path. Our next launch opportunity is Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC.” Throughout the day weather conditions became worse, with Tropical Storm Bertha initially threatening the launch before a tornado warning was issued. NASA has strict rules about the conditions the Falcon 9 can fly in, and said of one these rules was violated just minutes before the launch. READ MORE: SpaceX delay: Is the SpaceX launch delayed? When is the launch? SpaceX launch: A SpaceX landmark rocket was due to be sent into space on Wednesday (Image: GETTY)
SpaceX launch: The launch was delayed due to bad weather (Image: GETTY) How long does it take to get to space?Space is at the end of Earth's atmosphere, about 62 miles upwards. This is called the Karman Line and means you've gone past the Thermosphere and are now into the Exosphere. NASA launch director Mike Leinbach said: “It takes the shuttle approximately 8-1/2 minutes to get to orbit. “And 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.
SpaceX launch: Elon Musk's company plan to send two NASA astronauts to the ISS (Image: GETTY) “They typically experience about three times the force of gravity during most of the ascent, and once we reach orbit, when the main engines cut off, they go from that three-G acceleration to zero acceleration virtually instantaneously, and that's when they become weightless on orbit.” Once astronauts are in orbit and aboard the space station, they have to keep it going at a certain speed to stay up there. The ISS is moving at 17,500mph in orbit around the Earth. The astronauts aboard won't feel this speed, however, and the only sign they have is looking down to see planet Earth rotating beneath them. DON'T MISS
Related articlesHow many people are in space right now?There are currently three people in space right now. US flight engineer Chris Cassidy has been in space for 48 days, alongside Russian astronauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The trio successfully arrived in orbit on April 9 and docked with the ISS six hours later. SpaceX launch: Two NASA astronauts will be sent to the ISS on Saturday (Image: GETTY) The three were joined by Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew R Morgan for eight days before they departed the space station. The Expedition 63 crew are expected to welcome the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission for a stay on board the station on May 28. However, the mission was delayed due to bad weather. The next attempt to launch the rocket will take place on Saturday, May 30.
Related articles
IPSO Regulated Copyright ©2022 Express Newspapers. "Daily Express" is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. How long is 1 hour in space?Explanation: The clocks in space tick more slowly than clocks on Earth., HENCE COVERING LESS TIME AS COMPARED TO EARTH IN THE SAME DURATION. One hour on Earth is 0.0026 seconds in space. Thus, upon calculation we find that one hour on Earth is equivalent to seven years in space.
How long does it take to get from Earth to the edge of space?It would take over 73,000 years. ERIC: So using current rocket technology, we're just not going to get there any time soon.
|
How long does it take to go to space from Earth
Postagens relacionadas
direito autoral © 2024 cumeu Inc.
