Document text
69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, August 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 26, 2004 Since You Asked Jets cannot escape the atmosphere I finally got to see "Hulk" on cable last night and a scene got me wondering something about the space shuttle. Hulk is riding on the back of a jet fighter and the pilot goes straight up into the sky. He keeps going higher and higher, and the general tells the pilot that the higher he goes, the less air and Hulk will fall off before the pilot passes out. Just before Hulk falls off and the pilot passes out, the blue sky turns to stars, and the jet is in space. Why can’t the shuttle do that? — Jake R., Medford (age 10) You didn’t tell our Marvel Comics division if you liked the movie, Jake. But if it’s got you thinking about science, it can’t be half bad (our favorites by the way are "Spider-Man" and "Spider-Man 2"). You know that movies most often amaze us by taking liberties with reality, right? This is a perfect example. That fighter jet couldn’t get anywhere near "outer" space for a number of reasons, most notably gravity and oxygen. The higher up you go, the thinner the atmosphere and the less oxygen. Jet engines need oxygen to burn, so the engines would fail. Ever seen the shuttle lift off? That huge brown bullet it rides on is filled with liquid oxygen (and hydrogen fuel) for the shuttle’s main engines. The rockets on the side burn up and fall away before the shuttle exits the atmosphere and don’t need an oxygen supply of their own. Advertisement The other main reason that jet couldn’t get to space is a little more complicated. It’s called escape velocity and it’s the speed needed to break free of Earth’s gravity. Physics and Astronomy Online ( www.physlink.com ) says, "From the surface of the Earth, escape velocity (ignoring air friction) is about 7 miles per second, or 25,000 mph." That’s many times faster than our jet could ever travel. There’s also the problem of how the jet flies. It requires air flowing over its wings, tail and fuselage to provide lift and control. As the atmosphere fades at great height, the jet wouldn’t be able to fly and would fall to Earth. Keep reading those comic books (which inspired movies like "Hulk"), Jake! We’re big fans of them because they’re perfect for stimulating young imaginations. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities