Question

Minimum velocity required to “skip” a spacecraft across the atmosphere?

Answer 1

Hey mate ^_^

When Apollo returned from the moon, it was traveling at about escape velocity, which was much higher than orbital velocity....

The danger was if they "skipped" they would only slow down below escape velocity, and thus go into orbit (with no way to get down)....

So they had to pick an angle between a) skipping, and b) smashing into the lower atmosphere....

Any skip slows it down, so no skip with lengthen a suborbital flight....


#Be Brainly❤️

Answer 2

Hello mate here is your answer.


Minimum velocity required to "skip" a spacecraft across the atmosphere?



When, hopefully, Virgin Galactic spacecraft start regular operations in a few years time, they will be simply travelling upwards, then achieving weightlessness for a short while, followed by a return straight back down, as they cannot carry anything approaching enough fuel to achieve orbit.
So they are basically recreating Alan Shepard's flight from 55 years ago, travelling up and down, rather than around and around.On the other hand, when NASA achieved flights to the moon, their Apollo spacecraft velocity was such that their reentry angles had to stay within certain limits. If they were too steep, they would burn up, if too shallow they would skip/bounce off the Earth's atmosphere and back out into space.

Hope it helps you.