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What defines a flight speed record? Why doesn't the Space Shuttle count (it was going four times as fast during reentry)?
by skykooler 9y ago
What defines a flight speed record? Why doesn't the Space Shuttle count (it was going four times as fast during reentry)?
- ynniv 9y agoThe Space Shuttle lands as an unpowered glider.
- skykooler 9y agoSo? It doesn't say "powered flight speed record."
- cavanasm 9y agoI believe they're using a definition of flight that includes "powered". If you're gliding, you're always either losing speed, losing altitude, or both. In flight, you can increase those.
- jrs235 9y agoI agree. In one case you are "driving" the other you are just riding. Not sure whether "powered" or "human controlled" is appropriate.
- barkingcat 9y agoOn the way up - https://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/webcasts/shuttle/sts112/shuttle_qa.html https://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/webcasts/shuttle/st... - escape velocity is around 17,000 mph - or about Mach 22. You can't dispute that the Shuttle is "Powered" on the way up. It's piloted by computers, ok - but near the end of the way up I'm sure the flight commander has control over his own aircraft. The only reason the Shuttle is not counted is technicalities of space flight vs "flight" vs aircraft vs spacecraft, even though the shuttle operates in both air and space.
- 24gttghh 9y agoThe article is talking about flight-speed records in the context of powered flight entirely within Earth's atmosphere. The Space Shuttle of course get's credit for being one of the fastest-ever moving objects with people on board. It was also an unpowered glider during those speed records. It's simply in a different category. And technically the Apollo 10 crew did even faster at 39,897 km/h in 1969; which is over 10K km/h faster than the Space Shuttle controlled flight record.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]