My Mazda Rx8 - 180 mph (but I’ve never tried it)
Indianapolis 500 Race Car - 237 mph (and they have tried it)
Land speed record - 766 mph (Oct. 15, 1997)
727 Passenger Jet - 600 mph
Concorde Supersonic Passenger Jet - 1,450 mph
Winchester .270 Rifle Bullet - 1,924 mph
Fastest jet (SR-71 Blackbird) - 2,193 mph
X-15 Rocket plane - 4,520 mph
The Space Shuttle - 17,500 mph
So how fast is 17,500 mph really? Try this experiment sometime while you’re on the thruway: Note the time and note where you are. For the next five minutes, watch and remember everything you pass. Keep in mind the whole distance and all the things you’ve passed during that five minutes. At the end of the five minutes, imagine going past all that stuff within the time it takes you to say "one steam engine". That’s how fast the shuttle goes.
Back to Space Exploration Home Page
Your questions and comments regarding this page are welcome.
You can e-mail Randy Culp for inquiries,
suggestions, new ideas or just to chat.
Updated 8 September 2008