Part 7/11:
- Size and Speed:
The ISS measures over 300 by 240 feet and orbits Earth every 90 minutes at a speed exceeding 17,500 miles per hour. No aircraft, including the fastest military planes like the SR-71, can operate at those speeds and altitudes for sustained periods.
- Altitude Limitations:
The U-2's operational ceiling is about 80,000 feet, but to stay within the narrow transit corridor seen during transits, the ISS must be approximately 400 kilometers high—far beyond any aircraft's maximum altitude.
- Parallax and Transit Timing: