how off course can a space ship get?

How do you keep a space ship from overheating?

It's difficult to do much about the heat because in space the only way you can cool is by radiation. What you'd probably do is surround your spaceship with a mirrored shell and keep a layer of vacuum between the shell and your ship.

Why don’t spacecraft burn up or veer off course during reentry?

Why don’t spacecraft burn up or veer off course during reentry from space? They’re the correct shape, they’re coming in at just the right angle, and they’re covered in an appropriate skin…

What would happen if a spaceship hit the Sun?

Assuming you're in orbit around the Sun (presumably a highly elliptical orbit) you won't feel any force due to gravity. In principle you might feel tidal forces, but for an object the size of a spaceship these are negligable even if you graze the surface of the Sun. The most obvious problems are the heat from the Sun and the radiation it emits.

What will happen to the Space Shuttle?

The Space Shuttle may have gone out of service, but space exploration is still a hot area, thanks to the success of Curiosity, the rover that landed on Mars in August 2012 (powered in large measure by MIT alumni). According to Anderson, NASA’s next-generation spacecraft will return to a capsule model with an ablative heat shield.

Can a space ship stop in space?

Space ships do not stop when they run out of fuel. While outer space does contain gas, dust, light, fields, and microscopic particles, they are in too low of a concentration to have much effect on spaceships. As a result, there is essentially zero friction in space to slow down moving objects.

Can you change course in space?

Sometimes a spacecraft can use the gravity of a planet or moon for an orbit or swingby and change its direction that way. Other than that, the course is not changed in large ways, just adjusted or corrected.

How long does it take for a space ship to take off?

Space is at the end of Earth's atmosphere, about 62 miles upwards. This is called the Karman Line and means you've gone past the Thermosphere and are now into the Exosphere. NASA launch director Mike Leinbach said: “It takes the shuttle approximately 8-1/2 minutes to get to orbit.

Why can't spaceships take off like planes?

The simple answer is an airplane does not go any faster than 500-600 mph. As a pilot of a space shuttle though, you want to get out of the atmosphere as soon as practically possible, and for that, you need a very high velocity so as to escape the Earth's gravitational pull.

Can I change my course in 300 level?

You can change your course after 200 level and 300 level. For 300 level, you would have to step down to 200 level. Some departments would step you down to 100 level from 200 level. It depends on the policy of the department.

Is there a NASA university?

The Academy consists of a ten-week summer program hosted by a participating NASA center. Currently there are academies at Langley Research Center, Ames Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center and Glenn Research Center....NASA Academy.NASA Academy LogoTypePrivateEstablished1993CampusCampuses at various NASA centers

How much do astronauts get paid?

The pay grades for civilian astronaut candidates are set by federal government pay scales and vary based on academic achievements and experience. According to NASA , civilian astronaut salaries range from $104,898 to $161,141 per year. Here are a few of the benefits offered to civilian astronauts: Health care.

How long is a trip to Mars?

The trip to Mars will take about seven months and about 300 million miles (480 million kilometers). During that journey, engineers have several opportunities to adjust the spacecraft's flight path, to make sure its speed and direction are best for arrival at Jezero Crater on Mars.

How long does it take to get back to Earth from the International Space Station?

The ride home from the International Space Station sees the astronauts brake from 28 800 km/h to a standstill at touchdown in barely three hours. How does the Soyuz spacecraft reenter the atmosphere? And how does the capsule land?

Can a jet fly into space?

Even the most modern of fighter jets cannot fly into space. The F-35 Lightning II, considered to be the world's most advanced craft, has a service ceiling of around 15 kilometres (nine miles). This is less than a fifth of the way to space. Part of the reason fighter jets can't fly this high is their power source.

Is a space shuttle faster than a jet?

It's in ft/s, 1000 ft/s is 1097 km/h. So At about 45 seconds, the Shuttle flies 1000 km/h which is faster than an airliner.

How far is space from Earth?

62 milesA common definition of space is known as the Kármán Line, an imaginary boundary 100 kilometers (62 miles) above mean sea level.

How does a spacecraft launch?

Generally, a spacecraft is launched with huge rockets into a certain trajectory, or path, and it continues on that that path. Often the smaller rockets that are attached to the spacecraft are not large enough to change that initial push significantly. Spacecraft traveling in one direction have a hard time turning around and going in another.

Can a spacecraft change its direction?

Spacecraft traveling in one direction have a hard time turning around and going in another. Sometimes a spacecraft can use the gravity of a planet or moon for an orbit or swingby and change its direction that way. Other than that, the course is not changed in large ways, just adjusted or corrected. If a course correction is needed, ...

Supply, Demand, and Garbage

In a society where human beings have lived among the stars for tens of thousands of years, they would have accumulated a lot of junk, so they just decided to throw a lot of it onto uninhabitable rocks near colony planets for easy disposal. Kind of like the galactic version of a landfill.

Haves and Have Nots

This all sets up a world of haves on the colony planets living in luxury, and the have-nots living off what they throw away. The people on the colony have such wealth they can afford the expense of firing their junk into orbit. The people in space are so poor they consider the surface-dweller's trash to be of value. Why?

E-Waste

Today, we see this situation with electronic waste driven by planned obsolescence. Rather than continuing to use a working, but obsolescent, device, we throw it out.

How Big Does Their Ship Have To Be?

Most of it would be taken up by containers of junk they collected, things to be sorted to see if they're valuable, and things that are valuable if recycled in large quantities.

Could we take a plane to space?

There are many reasons we can’t just use an aircraft to get into space. A major one is that the higher up we go, the less air there is – or specifically the less “oxygen” there is in the air.

How does a rocket engine work?

Similar to an aircraft’s jet engine, rocket engines work by shooting very hot gas out from the back of the rocket. As the gas is pushed backward, the rocket is pushed forward.