17 500 mph.
17,500 mph
The space shuttle Columbia had a maximum speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour during its orbit in space.
The space shuttle needs to go fast in order to reach orbit around the Earth. By going fast, the shuttle can overcome the gravitational pull of the Earth and enter into a stable orbit where it remains in space. This speed is necessary to counteract the pull of gravity and maintain a continuous state of freefall around the Earth.
The space shuttle traveled at speeds around 17,500 miles per hour to reach low Earth orbit. It took about 8.5 minutes for the space shuttle to reach orbit after launch.
Space Shuttle Atlantis.
17,500 mph
All space shuttle vehicles orbit at a speed of 17,320 miles per hour.
The space shuttle Columbia had a maximum speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour during its orbit in space.
The space shuttle needs to go fast in order to reach orbit around the Earth. By going fast, the shuttle can overcome the gravitational pull of the Earth and enter into a stable orbit where it remains in space. This speed is necessary to counteract the pull of gravity and maintain a continuous state of freefall around the Earth.
At least 17,500 MPH which is the speed required to stay in orbit.
The space shuttle traveled at speeds around 17,500 miles per hour to reach low Earth orbit. It took about 8.5 minutes for the space shuttle to reach orbit after launch.
Space Shuttle Atlantis.
The shuttle's speed is close to 230 km an hour so that is the way it can orbit hte earth close to 50 times a day.
The second space shuttle to orbit the Earth was the Space Shuttle Challenger. It completed its first mission on April 9, 1983.
There were 5. Space Shuttle Columbia (destroyed in 2003), Space Shuttle Challenger (destroyed in 1886), Space Shuttle Discovery, Space Shuttle Atlantis, and Space Shuttle Endeavour.
In orbit the speed of the space shuttle is approximately 28 000 km/h or about 26 times the speed of sound.
The space shuttle traveled at an average speed of around 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 km/h) in low Earth orbit. This high speed was necessary to balance the force of gravity pulling the shuttle back toward Earth.