Cosmic Velocity - Second to Foot 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.

Foot per minute measures distance in feet traveled in one minute. Common in US industrial and HVAC applications.

1 ft/min = 0.00508 m/s = 0.01829 km/h = 0.3048 m/min.

To ft/s: ÷ 60. To m/s: × 0.00508. To mph: ÷ 88.

HVAC duct air velocity (600–2,000 fpm), conveyor belts (50–300 fpm), elevator speeds (200–1,500 fpm), and escalators (90–120 fpm).

Typical HVAC duct: 800–1,200 fpm. High-rise elevator: 1,000 fpm. Airport moving walkway: 140 fpm.

Confusing ft/min with ft/s — ft/min is 60× slower. Mixing fpm with mph.

60 ft/min = 1 ft/s. ~88 ft/min = 1 mph. Essential for HVAC calculations in the US.