Cosmic Velocity - Second to Mile 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.

Mile per minute measures the number of statute miles traveled in one minute. Used for very high speeds in imperial units.

1 mi/min = 60 mph = 96.56 km/h = 26.82 m/s.

To mph: × 60. To km/h: × 96.56. To m/s: × 26.82.

Aircraft speeds (commercial jets: 8–10 mi/min), high-speed trains, missile velocities, and meteor observations.

Commercial jet cruise: ~9 mi/min (540 mph). Military jet: 15–25 mi/min. Space shuttle reentry: ~300 mi/min.

Confusing with mph — 1 mi/min is 60 times faster than 1 mph.

Simple conversion: mi/min × 60 = mph. Example: 10 mi/min = 600 mph. Good for aviation mental math.