What velocity must a vehicle returning from low Earth orbit often achieve upon re-entry?
Answer
Around 17,500 miles per hour, which is roughly Mach 25.
The phenomenal velocities involved in re-entry dictate the severity of the heating environment. A vehicle descending from low Earth orbit must contend with speeds around 17,500 miles per hour. This speed translates to approximately Mach 25. It is this massive initial velocity, representing a huge amount of kinetic energy, that generates the necessary conditions for intense heating capable of melting conventional materials. Managing the dissipation of this specific level of kinetic energy is the core engineering challenge of returning safely.
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