Cosmic Velocity - Second to Centimeter per Minute

The second cosmic velocity (Earth's escape velocity) is approximately 11,200 m/s (11.2 km/s), the minimum speed to escape Earth's gravity completely.

v₂ = √(2GM/r) = √2 × v₁ ≈ 11.2 km/s. Exactly √2 times the first cosmic velocity.

To km/h: × 3,600. To mph: × 25,000. 11.2 km/s = 40,320 km/h = 25,053 mph.

Moon missions, Mars missions, deep space probes (Voyager, New Horizons), and any mission leaving Earth's gravity well.

Apollo missions: ~11.2 km/s. Voyager probes: exceeded v₂ to leave solar system. New Horizons: launched at record 16.26 km/s (fastest ever from Earth).

Thinking you need this speed everywhere — you only need it at launch. In space, much less Δv is needed.

~11 km/s to escape Earth. √2 × orbital velocity. Remember: orbit ≈ 8 km/s, escape ≈ 11 km/s.

Centimeter per minute measures distance in centimeters traveled over one minute. Used for small-scale, slow-moving processes.

1 cm/min = 0.01 m/min = 0.0001667 m/s = 0.0006 km/h.

To m/s: ÷ 6,000. To m/min: ÷ 100. To mm/min: × 10.

Snail movement (1–2 cm/min), slow laboratory stirrers, small conveyor systems, and plant growth measurements (fast-growing plants).

Garden snail: ~1 cm/min. Sloth movement: ~2 cm/min. Fast-growing bamboo shoots: up to 1.5 cm/min during peak growth.

Confusing with cm/s (60× faster) or cm/h (60× slower).

100 cm/min = 1 m/min. Good for measuring small creatures or slow mechanical processes.