SpaceShipOne in outer space video

No it doesn't. It achieved an altitude of only 40 miles. That ain't outer space.

There is no mach number in space. You must be in a fluid to have a mach number. Space is a vacuum.

-Fred Shecter NAR 20117

Space is a

Not completely though, huh? I mean, there are a few stray atoms here, and there...

So, Mach 1 would be, like...

/Dr. Evil

"1 Gazil-ilbil-i-quilizillion MPH!"

Dr. Evil/

tah

Yes.

Except when you involve the government.

Space is variously defined as 55 miles and 62 miles (100km) where there is air, and even in near orbital space there is sufficient air to cause drag, but insufficient to not be called a vacuum.

But even 1 inch of mercury is a "partial vacuum" (30 inches is considered full), so I guess by merely climbing a mountain you are subjecting yourself to a "vacuum".

Jerry

Would that be, Dr. Evil from somewhere in New Jersey?

:)

Wow! The thing looks unstable about the roll axis. Mike Melvile is a highly skilled pilot and yet it looks like he's having to correct roll quite a bit, both at low and high altitudes. So either it's unstable in roll or Mike's doing some envelope exploration on the way.

Shawn

definetly worth watching, esp. the 2nd half, nice background.

are terrestrial features really that clear at that altitude? time to build my own....

I can't access the video. Real Player says I'm missing a plug-in. ....

tod hilty we> So, Mach 1 would be, like...

Uhhh...errr...uuhh...Tod, old friend, old pal, er, uh, the speed of sound goes down with decreasing air density (increasing altitude), so the mach value in a vacuum would be more like

Think more like Tim Conway's old man character.

Or the LSD scenes from bad movies :)

Or the speed of the SOB in front of you when you're late for work.

Doug

Then get the plug-in. Twit.

you guys are way too anal for me.....must be a bunch of rocket scientists or something....the point is a really cool video of SSO at what 40miles? you can see the curvature of the earth etc.... shockie B)

Well, duh.

It does not say what the plug in IS. usually when you need a plug-in you get a message that leads you to the website to download it. Nothing. Just a "missing" message. No indication of what plug-in is missing.

Doh! Yep, you're right, Doug! I was thinking backwards. Must be the effects of this damn Van DeGraaff generator my daughter and I built. I've zapped myself enough such that my right forearm was twitching there for awhile...

I wonder how many static shocks a human can take before brain damage occurs?

Wow! What a ball to play with! We're pulling 5" sparks with 97% humidity! Imagine what it would do on a cold winter day around these parts.

Hmmm... the end of Easy Rider?

tah

There are far more than a few stray atoms at 40 miles altitude.

The speed of sound in the atmosphere is a function of temperature.

Who defines space as 55 miles?

The Space Shuttle control system design defined "entry interface" as

That seems like a reasonable practical definition to me.

-dave w

That's swell, but who defines space as 55 miles?

While pretty low density and better than we can do on the ground, the solar wind is certainly not a complete vacuum - and it is even supersonic. There is a bow shock associated with the Earth's magnetosphere, for instance.

So does that mean that space is filled with a giant sucking sound?