-
Asked by Barney to Tom, Jon, COLFlight, Beth, Anne on 4 Oct 2015.
-
Columbus Flight Directors answered on 4 Oct 2015:
Sergio:
Hi Barney, to be launched into space you really need a lot of force. When they are launched, the astronauts are sitting on the top of a rocket that contains about the same energy of an atomic bomb!
You can imagine that this is dangerous and it actually is. But thanks to a lot of work and studies, we are able to control all that energy so that instead of exploding like a bomb it is released gradually and in one direction, thus pushing the spacecraft up and making it reach in few minutes a velocity of 20 thousands miles per hour!
-
Comments
Barney commented on :
An atomic bomb? Like Hiroshima? ( i think thats one) Thats a lot of power!
COLFlight commented on :
Yes, that is a lot indeed!
Imagine that you have to lift 200 thousands of pounds to an altitude of 300 miles and also make it go as fast as 20 thousands miles per hour, while also counteracting the air drag when you go up… that’s a lot of energy!