32.7k views
5 votes
To get an spaceship into orbit, it has to move

about as fast as the speed of sound
about as fast as the speed of light
about 18,000 miles per hour
there is no minimum speed for orbital motion

1 Answer

1 vote
The answer is the third option, "about 18,000 miles per hour". If you just want to get a spaceship into orbit around the Earth, the spaceship will need to reach a minimum speeds of about 4.9 miles per second, which is equivalent to 17,600 miles per hour (about 18,000 miles per hour to the nearest thousand).
User LodeRunner
by
5.1k points