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The International Space Station is in a low Earth orbit between 199 mi and 216 mi. To maintain this orbit, the space station has to travel at a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour.

If a spacecraft was launched sideways off the Earth with a low velocity, gravity would pull it towards the ground. If the spacecraft was launched at a faster velocity, it would hit the ground at a farther distance because the ground would be curving away at a faster rate. However if the spacecraft was launched fast enough, the Earth would constantly curve away as the spacecraft falls indefinitely. The spacecraft would be in orbit. The speed required for the International Space Station to orbit is 17,500 miles per hour. The higher an object's orbit is, the slower it has to travel to maintain that orbit.

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Q: Why does the space station travel so fast?
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What moves faster a spaceship or a space station?

A space station only has to go fast enough to achieve orbit. A spaceship has to go fast enough to break out of orbit and get where it is going. So, a spaceship.


Why was the International Space Station built?

so we can perform experiments to better man kind and to learn more about space to help space travel


Can you hear the International Space Station pass overhead if all everything else around is still and quite?

Sound needs a volume to travel in. Space happens to be a vacuum, so said volume is not there. Sound cannot travel in space because of this. If sound cannot travel through space, it is not going to reach Earth. So, no.


Is there a space station in Canada?

Canada is not in space, so therefore there is no space station in Canada. Canada does have an arm on the International Space Station in space.


Why does a space shuttle have to travel so fast?

Space shuttles must travel at 11km/s so that they can escape the force of gravity. the force of gravity is approximately 9.81. If you don't travel at a greater speed than the force of gravity, the rocket will not launch.


How does a flea travel so fast 7.1?

how does a flea travel so fast


What is the difference between a space station and the space shuttle?

A Space Station monitors the Space Shuttle being launched into space and so forth. And a Space Shuttle, is like a rocket they send into space. So the difference is a space shuttle is a rocket, and a space station is a building.


What is a fast moving gas that can travel in space?

how could u guys not know it its so easy oh and the answer is liquids


How long will it take to get to the International Space Station?

It takes 2 days. You might think that that's a long time for a space shuttle to go to the space station. Especially when you know that it takes about 2 minutes for the space shuttle to go into space. But here's why: The space station is orbiting the earth, and so will the space shuttle when it goes into space. If it goes faster though, it will fly away from the earth's atmosphere and get lost in outer space. So the Space Shuttle goes slightly faster so it will catch up, but not too fast so that it will fly off into outer space. That's why it takes 2 days.


Why is space station so bright?

Because space is so dark.


What is the time astronauts use while in the space since they travel from so fast between time zones?

Houston time.


How do you get food on a space station?

The space station is not too far out of the Earths atmosphere so they just send up a space shuttle!