What's the Fastest Spacecraft Ever?

Life's Little Mysteries ^ | 6/17/2010 | Denise Chow

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

For spacecraft that zoom through the cosmos at thousands of miles per hour, calculating which one is traveling at the fastest speed is more complicated than simply clocking the first to cross the finish line.

When space agencies calculate and establish speed records, these numbers need to be defined and qualified, because there can be more than one frame of reference. In other words, the speed of a spacecraft can be calculated relative to the Earth, the sun, or some other body.

The record for the highest speed at which a spacecraft has launched and escaped from Earth's gravity is held by the New Horizons probe. This 1,054 pound (478 kg), piano-sized spacecraft, which launched in January 2006, sped away from the Earth at a blistering pace of 36,000 miles per hour (almost 58,000 kilometers per hour).

As the first mission to the distant Pluto, New Horizons is currently on a trajectory that will take it more than 3 billion miles away, toward the dwarf planet.

New Horizons' escape speed from Earth beat the previous record of 32,400 mph (about 52,000 km/h), set when Pioneer 10 set out for Jupiter in 1972.

After New Horizon encounters its primary science target, Pluto, and possibly a few of the asteroid-like objects in the Kuiper Belt that stretches beyond Pluto, the probe will leave our solar system. Here, it will join four other spacecraft, and could vie for yet another title: fastest interstellar spacecraft ever launched from Earth.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Ping

[gov_bean_ counter]

Was the Millennium Falcon faster than the Enterprise???

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The Millenium Falcon used light speed. Enterprise used a faster the light drive.

[Talisker]

Was the Millennium Falcon faster than the Enterprise???

Not a chance.

[USNBandit]

I laugh at your puny hyperdrive and warp drive.....

[101voodoo]

I had a ‘64 GTO which was really fast.

[101voodoo]

I had a ‘64 GTO which was really fast.

[aft_lizard]

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperdrive
Very much on par with a warp drive.

[Tainan]

I will see your hyper drive, warp drive and Ludicrous Speed and raise you...

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

“What’s the Fastest Spacecraft Ever?”

The UFO that was over New Mexico in 1947.....
until it crashed at Roswell.

[qrstuv]

it’s a shame that the members of this regime weren’t on it.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

For spacecraft that zoom through the cosmos at thousands of miles per hour (that's thousands of kilometers per hour)

[xp38]

I laugh at your ludicrous speed when plaid is where its at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7VWcuVOf0

[AF_Blue]

That would be the starship Heart of Gold, the first space craft to contain the Infinite Improbability Drive.

[stefanbatory]

I’m gonna go with the Delta Flyer which attained warp 10...also known as infinite speed...yeah, that’s it...

[Little Ray]

In Space Balls when MegaMaid when to ridiculous speed and plaid shifted.

[SLB]

Bet my ‘64 Sport Fury was faster than your goat.

[FDNYRHEROES]

Bet my ‘64 Sport Fury was faster than your goat.

In its day, my Toyota pick-up truck, which I named, "The Millenium Chicken", broke ALL known speed limits...

[FDNYRHEROES]

New Horizons' escape speed from Earth beat the previous record of 32,400 mph (about 52,000 km/h), set when Pioneer 10 set out for Jupiter in 1972.

I was able to watch the night launch of Pioneer 10 back in 1972 from a few miles offshore. It was spectacular, and it was real.