What speed could be reached?

Question

if the same amount of force used to lift the shuttle out of the Earths atmosphere was used in space where no gravity exists

Answer 1

The final speed depends on how long the force is applied for. Per Newton's Second Law, an unbalanced force causes an acceleration that is inversely proportional to the object's mass, or F=ma. Acceleration is the measure of change of velocity. Apply a force, you get an acceleration - your velocity changes. Keep applying the force, your velocity keeps changing. Theoretically you could just keep applying the force until your space craft almost reaches light-speed (it can come infinitely close, but never actually reach the speed of light). The tricky part is getting a force to act on your ship for long enough. That and not colliding into anything along the way.

Answer 2

Remember tha an object in motion will contiue o be in motion unless effected by a force tha would alter it.

Force has the realtionship of F=MA (mass & acceleration)

If gravity was 0 (never really is because there is always some gravity in the universe from something) and a constant force were applied to the shuttle th the shuttle would continue to be accelerated.

Therefore its velocity would be in constant change and increasing.

Over a long enough period of time, say as it approached and infinite period of time the shuttle would approach the speed of light.

Again this assumes no gravity and no friction from any atmosphere.

Answer 3

Dont know but not very fast in the grand scheme of things. Because the mass of an object increases as it gets faster there would be a limit to how fast the rocket could go, in relation to how much power and fuel it had. As the rocket increases in mass so the energy needed to propell it would also increase untill you reach a point were both cancel each other out then that speed will be maintained. Nowere near the speed of light anyway.

Answer 4

If the force was continuous the speed would eventually reach absolute (speed of light theoretically) but most likely you'd run out of fuel long before then.

It doesn't depend on the amount of force but the time that that force is used to get the speed reached ( in a vacuum that is)

The less force used the slower the acceleration but the final speed would still be high if that force was used for long enough.

Answer 5

Using the solid rocket boosters and a full external tank, the shuttle could reach a speed of around 50,000 miles per hour. If it was pointed at Jupiter and used the gravity slingshot it could get up to about 65,000 miles per hour. And it would take years and years for it to get to the boundary of the solar system.

Answer 6

the thrusts keep it moveing at 17 thousand mph (5 miles a second)

Answer 7

dont know, but lets put TONY BLAIR and GEORGE BUSH in a shuttle and find out.

Answer 8

One billion, kajillion, million, trillion miles per hour.

Answer 9

everyone from 0 to speed of light (www.softsupplier.com if you agree, thnx )

Answer 10

Ludicrous speed!!!