Originally Posted by
AZFlyer
If they're going to use a space craft as a their #1 then they should at least use the fastest manned space craft, which is most definitely not the Space Shuttle.
Apollo program space craft would reach 24,000mph between the earth and moon....easily a full 6,000mph faster than the Shuttle.
Also, the MiG-25 is one UGLY airplane.
I think apollo 13 holds the all-time speed record for manned vehicles, it came back faster than normal for obvious reasons.
However, speed in deep space really has nothing to with the design of the vehicle...with zero drag you are only limited by how much fuel you can carry (until you approach the speed of light). For that reason it's fair to include the shuttle, since it has to actually fly in the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds...not trivial airframe engineering.