Question

When the shuttle altitude is about 12.5 miles, its horizontal distance to the runway is about 56 miles. What is the glide angle?

Answer 1

The glide angle of the shuttle can be calculated using the arctangent of the ratio of the altitude over the horizontal distance to the runway.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the glide angle of the shuttle, we can use basic trigonometry. The glide angle is essentially the angle of descent with respect to the horizontal ground. Given that the altitude of the shuttle is approximately 12.5 miles and the horizontal distance to the runway is 56 miles, we need to compute the arctangent (inverse tangent) of the altitude divided by the horizontal distance.

So, the glide angle θ can be calculated using the following formula:

θ = arctan(altitude / horizontal distance)

θ = arctan(12.5 miles / 56 miles)

The answer will be in degrees, providing the angle at which the shuttle must descend to reach the runway.