On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 04:05:56 +0000, Opus Penguin wrote:

ypauls wrote:
Dear Astronomy Experts
I have heard the shuttle descends rapidly. I was sitting in a plane at
30,000 feet and thought, how long would it take the shuttle to touch
down from that height? Anyone know the rate of decent? Cordially
ypauls



ENTRY
The entry phase of flight begins approximately five minutes before entry
interface, which occurs at an altitude of 400,000 feet. At EI minus five
minutes, the orbiter is at an altitude of about 557,000 feet, traveling at
25,400 feet per second, and is approximately 4,400 nautical miles (5,063

Where did all this come from? Surely you did not type it in as you sat
replying to that question. Just curious as to your source.

Chuck Sterling