What is the final escape velocity obtained by the shuttle during liftoff?
At Main Engine Cutoff (MECO), the shuttle is at an altitude of approximately 70 miles, traveling 24927 ft/sec (about 17,000 mi/hr) relative to the earth. At that point, the Shuttle is still not yet “in orbit”. If we did nothing else, it would come back to earth somewhere in the South Pacific ocean. In fact, the External Tank does fall there. In order to achieve a safe orbit, the Shuttle must coast to the highest point in its trajectory (somewhere over Europe) and add another 90 ft/sec with its Orbit Maneuvering Engines in order to raise the low end of the orbit to a minimum altitude.
