'Captain slow' in space

Yes, the one and only, James May, got a chance to fly at 70,000 ft in a Lockheed U-2. Even to him the experience is surreal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJoMDq4AyLc

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Wewe!! 70000ft (21.3kms) is not space! Outer Space begins at around 328000ft (100km) altitude

Why does a space shuttle moving at such a high speed take forever to reach the space station just 300kms away?

Breaking free from the earths gravitational pull requires lots of force.

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you just dont fly straight to the station…keep in mind that the earth is rotating and revolving…and you still need to save on fuel as well, so they have to time the earths rotation to propel them into space…

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You are right, outer space begins at around what you have said. But you want to say at 70,000ft is not space? I certainly didn’t mention outer space.

How heavy/light is the space shuttle during launching?

Several hundrends of tons, mainly fuel.

But the thing has enormous thrust.

Shouldnt be so hard for such a massive beast. it is not unusual to find that driving between Mombasa and Eldoret, you climb several kilometers. Sembuse space shuttle?

Why cant they take a flight at an angle of say 30 degrees in a calculated direction so as to intercept the station at the desired altitude?

Thats the answer @The.Black.Templar amekupa, its not a matter of aim for it and heading there directly, this is because both the earth and
the ISS are moving. so you calculate its position during the expected time of arrival and plan how you will get there. By the time they arrive, they have already orbited around earth a few times. Then they try to launch as near as possible to the equator, thats where the speed of earths rotation is at its highest and they dandia it. Why you ask do they need to dandia earths rotational speed, its becase the satellite is also rotating at a certain speed and once you live earth, you are essentially chasing after the satellite

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You dont shoot straight from the earth, it will pull you back. And again the station travels at breakneck speed(27600kmph). And the earth is doing 1670kmph about the equator. And you have to meet the station gently. Earths gravity isnt easy to escape. Even the massive moon and its huge centrifugal force is unable to escape though is thought that it will eventually escape and has actually been doing so slowly. The moon has always been in a battle to escape.

Lame duck answer

Same here. I was so dumbfounded by that response mpaka nilishindwa kucomment. As if kuna difference between space and outer space. People should research facts first before posting blondeness!

Kugoogle nayo??? hehe

Yes. I googled the exact figures but I knew what i was looking to confirm. If I hadnt googled I wouldnt have put the figures there and I inserted them in an edit.

‘Edge of space’ it is then.

Stop taking us round in circles trying to ‘justify’ what you wrongfully said at the beginning. That altitude is not space and it is nowhere near the ‘edge of space.’ 70000ft altitude still leaves a whopping 70kms+ altitude before you enter space.

Edge of space it is. Wacha kelele!!![ATTACH=full]7915[/ATTACH]