Can an aircraft like an F-18 Hornet fly in space like the shuttle?

Question

Can an aircraft like an F-18 Hornet fly in space like the shuttle?

Answer 1

No.

Answer 2

since the turbofan engines in the F/A18 are air breathing engines, they wont be able to operate in the thin air above 100,000ft let alone in space itself. second the F/A18 doesnt have the environment to handle space travel like the shuttle does. third reentry would be a big problem for the F/A18 since it has no heat shielding to handle the heat of reentry. fourth the F/A18 doesnt have enough power to reach a high enough speed to break out of the atmosphere, even if its engines could breath efficiently above 100,000ft. and fifth the F/A18 could not maneuver outside the atmosphere since the control surfaces have no air flowing across them, and thus no control authority. the shuttle has maneuvering jets in various places to allow for outside the atmosphere maneuvering.

Answer 3

No. First of all, the -18 can't fly fast enough to break free of Earth's gravity.  Then it's engine's wouldn't function.  There are structural problems as well as control also.

Answer 4

They can not re-enter the Earth's atmosphere due to lack of heat shielding, and also not designed with that structural strength.  If a trick question, I think they could fly, as in drift around there but never return, they are pressurized and have oxygen, if they have power, but now the engines aren't running anymore due to lack of oxygen.  Also, it can not get there on it's own regardless - wheres the lift in the atmosphere and fuel?  Needs a delivery system with tons of boost and fuel, ie. a rocket.

Answer 5

No because of two reasons: Turbine engines need air, (oxygen), to burn fuel and propel the aircraft forward and the control surfaces need air resistance in order to "steer" the plane. Space has neither.

Answer 6

First they need to reach over 25,000 mph, which they can only reach about 1,300 mph. They also need rocket engines and fuel since they have jet engines that need oxygen to work. Then they need shields from the suns radiation and the heat.

Answer 7

No, it cannot.  The space shuttle is propelled by true rocket engines, which can operate outside the earth's atmosphere.  The F-18 is powered by turbojet engines, which, by definition, require oxygen from the earth's atmosphere.

The F-18's hull and pressurization would not be adequate for space travel.  The shuttle's pressure hull is much more sophisticated.

It is not necessary to attain 25,000 MPH to go into space.  That speed is called "escape velocity," which is the speed a bullet would have to be fired straight up from the surface to escape earth's gravity and not fall back.  Rocket ships like the space shuttle are propelled to higher altitudes by their engines, and are designed to go into orbit, which requires much slower speeds.  The shuttle enters the orbit of the International Space Station at about 17,800 MPH.

Finally, the space shuttle has navigation computers designed to operate without the usual assumptions made in navigating airplanes, and also has maneuvering jets that allow it to be positioned in space without aerodynamic control surfaces.  The F-18 is not so equipped.

That is the true and correct answer.

Answer 8

Absolutelly no. It need oxigen to make their engines keep working and needs air so their wings can lift it.

Answer 9

No, becasue the hornet need outside oxygen to bun the engines. The space shuttle gives its own oxygen mixed.

Answer 10

yep it could. the f18 has a thrust to weight ratio of more than 1:1 meaning it can point its nose straight up and keep on accelerating until it's out of gas. which is expensive these days so i suggest you turn it around after about angels 50.