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71 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 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 30, 2004 Since You Asked Hulk’s true jet velocity has us green with envy Your answer to the Hulk flying into space on the back of a jet was a bit flawed. You do not have to achieve escape velocity to get into space. In fact, there is no minimum velocity required to get into space. To get into orbit, you need to reach about 17,500 mph, in an orbital trajectory, not straight up. The private SpaceShipOne got into space at a little over 2,000 mph. I won’t even get into escape velocity. It doesn’t apply here. It’s very complicated. What I wonder is why this bothered the guy, but he had no problem with a man turning into an angry green giant. — Scott W., Medford Advertisement You and several other astute readers caught us with our spacepants down, Scott. You’re right about the difference between entering space and entering orbit. But we’ll challenge you on SpaceShipOne having reached "space." Steven N. of White City suggested that the F/A-22 the Hulk rode on — as well as other high-performance jets — could easily have done what appears in the movie: reach above 90,000 feet where the sky turns dark and fills with stars and the curvature of the Earth can be seen. Steven says the F-15A Strike Eagle has the current altitude record at 103,000 feet (19.5 miles). Fighter jet engines don’t work above 20 miles. There is no clear definition of "space" because there is no border. NASA says space is 50 miles up; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale says it’s 62 miles, where "aeronautics" cease and "astronautics" begin. Steven’s F-15A Strike Eagle doesn’t reach space, and couldn’t by the above definitions. Stable orbit is found at 220 miles. All atmosphere disappears at 500 miles. David J. of Central Point points out our error on the shuttle’s booster rockets. They do carry their own oxygen; it’s mixed in the fuel. And, by the way, we’ve found that explaining how a man can turn into an angry green giant would be a piece of cake compared to trying to explain escape velocity and the like to a curious kid. 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 RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times