Getting into Space Takes a Lot of Energy

1. Getting into Space Takes a Lot of Energy Getting out of the atmosphere takes a lot of energy Depending upon your definition it is 62 to 72 miles thick We will see some dramatic pictures of it later in this presentation. There are Sub Orbital Trajectories and there are Orbital Trajectories. There are usually several stages required to accomplish an exit. A sub orbital Example is the Virgin Galactic approach White Knight 2 and Space Ship 2 There are other examples of airplane first stage, and rocket second stage. An orbital example would be a typical rocket launch 1st stage – off the ground and through most of the atmosphere 2nd stage – all the way out of the atmosphere, and accelerate to orbital velocity 3rd stage – Orbital maneuvering and higher orbits.

2. Space Ship Two (SS2) White Knight Two (WK2) Weightless for 5 minutes SS2 Rocket Plane SS2 Glides to Landing WK2 Airplane Edge of Atmosphere (400,000 ft) <5% Continues into Orbit @ 600,000 ft, 17,600 MPH Typical Rocket Flight Path Extremely Thin Atmosphere (250,000 ft) Shuttle Flight Path Shuttle Rocket Boosters (SRB’s) Separate @ 2 minutes, 28 miles altitude (147,840 ft) 60% Fuel Spent Very Thin Atmosphere (120,000 ft) Surface of Earth Space Flight Launch Comparison (an approximation) Sub-Orbital vs. Orbital Flight S. Akerley 2011