Twin sonic booms from space shuttle Atlantis 2008

The V-shaped wake behind a boat is very similar to a sonic boom. The boat moves faster than the waves on the surface of the water do - this is just like the plane travelling faster than the speed of sound. If you look carefully at the wake of the boat on the water, you'll see that there are usually two separate V-shaped wakes - one from the tip of the boat and one from the tail. In the same way, most planes travelling faster than sound will give off two sonic booms, one from the nose and the other from the tail.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Atlantis
• space
• shuttle
• nasa
• twin
• sonic
• boom
• 2008

[mmbbz]

as the shuttle re enters it it travelling faster than sound, shockwaves build up at the nose and rear creating a double bang. all sonic booms are twin bangs but for example fighter jets are smaller so the booms are much faster so we only hear 1 boom. vapor cones occur at all speeds, they're unrelated to supersonic flight

[basketbuie]

KNOCK KNOCK can i come back into the atmosphere? lol

[crispycritterz]

I'm gonna miss that.

[ManEatingSharks]

So glad I got up for STS 135's... and so glad I didn't sleep in for once.

[BBT609]

I have experienced this on the last day Atlantis was coming in Titusville

[matt876mma]

i'd love to have heard that, i bet its like somone punching your stomach twice in real life.

[virustwin]

@lawker777 lol, no it sounds like a distant explosion

[virustwin]

but shouldnt we be able to see them as well? i know the sound travels more slowly than light but there is no indication of a visual cua anywhere or did they start filming too late?

[lawker777]

how loud is it? do u get deaf?

[WeslieJJ94]

Or is it because he goes back to a slower speed?

[basimpsn]

@burlface Yep one sonic boom cause from the point of the nose and the another cause from the top of the rudder, If there was another point that higher and behind the rudder,,than there would be three sonic boom lol

[crisp124]

@burlface im no expert but one is for the tip of the front and the other one is the back on the tail that happens to everything that enters our atmosphere