Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

But in the case of free fall from space or near space, the air is so thin that these effects are minimal.

-- This is interesing, Thanks.

Do we know at what altitude he hit Mach 1.0, out of curiousity?




Back of envelope calculation:

  A. Starting height = 39045 m
  B. Desired speed = 343 m/s
  C. Acceleration = 9.8 m/s/s

  D. Average speed while accelerating = 171 m/s (half of B)
  E. Time to reach desired speed = 35 s (B divided by C)
  F. Therefore distance travelled = 5985 m (D times E)

  G. Therefore altitude at Mach 1 = 33060 m, give or take the small amount of drag.
Edit: Meh, I see from the video that he didn't accelerate as fast as this, I guess the drag was significant after all. Even a small amount of gas will move you if it's coming at you at significant speeds...


I think he meant altitude at which he was slowed back to mach 1.0.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: