and the shuttle is orbiting at how many miles? i think around 200 is that right?
2006-12-11 01:25:55 · 3 answers · asked by Brian 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The US Dept. of Defense award astronaut "wings" to pilots who operate craft above 50 miles.
At 100 Km ( 62 miles) aerodynamic forces are no longer able to move the various control surfaces on aircraft. There is not enough atmosphere for aerodynamic forces to be effective. At 100 km, space is dark; the stars don't twinkle but shine as hard points of light. There is no sound; no explosions and shockwaves can be heard.
Read about it here:
http://www.space.edu/projects/book/chapter3.html
2006-12-11 01:35:08 · answer #1 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
SPACE as we now know it is a vast expanse of nothing with no end or beginning. It is absolute nothingness that makes it intriguing.
Yup, shuttle orbits around 200 miles away from earth. In the scale of space, this is nothing.
Carl Sagan put it nicely once: Our time on Earth is like that of an ant on a tree. The ant thinks the tree is permanent. We know, it is not because our life is longer than that of an ant. Now extrapolate it ... if we are like ants in this Universe and we think it is permanent, we should learn from this ant's episode that we are wrong.
2006-12-11 09:38:48 · answer #2 · answered by Nightrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Space begins at about 100km above earth.
2006-12-11 09:31:41 · answer #3 · answered by prune 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋