simply, what is the speed of the space shuttle at take off?
Answer Phillip. Thanks for the question. The shuttle at takeoff is accelerating through approx. Mach 2 by the time it reaches what we call maximum dynamic pressure or Max Q. This is when the shuttle rolls back, or “throttles back”, this is done by the shape of the Solid Rocket boosters. After it has reached Max Q, it then acclerates to about Mach 26 by the time it reaches MECO or Main Engine Cut Out. This is the final Orbital Velocity, they will then determine if they need a PC+1 burn, or a PC+2 burn, this is the Peri-Cythinon Burn +1 at MECO, or the Peri-Cynthinon burn +2 at the Apogee, or the highest point of the orbit, they usually have no need for a PC+1 burn, so they will do a PC+2 burn, to circularize the orbit. Thanks for the question, I’m sorry this is a bit confusing, but if you have any problems with the exp. just let me know.
