How close to the launch of the space shuttle would a human being have to be to be killed?

Question

1. By the heat produced.

2. By the vibrations produced.

3. By the sound waves produced.

Answer 1

I will group 2 and 3 together, because they are the same. Vibrations are sound.

1. Pretty close, as the sound suppression system absorbs most of the heat. You can say, from 150m on, when you are not standing directly inside the flame trench, you can survive the heat, though badly scorched. The flame trenches should be no go areas, especially as they are full of solid debris.

2. The sound is worse - around 160 Decibel. Even 500m away, this would be loud enough to cause internal damage in your body. Even the 400m of the emergency exit slide wires would  not be enough for trouble, as it is scaled for pad fires and combustion of the tanks, not the sound levels of launch.

The whole perimeter of the pad is evacuated during launch, especially for the case that the shuttle explodes during the first 500m of travel. The next humans to the astronauts are about 1500m away during launch at the perimeter of the launch site.

Answer 2

not sure, but at launch sites, they will rope off restricted area where u cant watch the ship take off. You could always check the kennedy space center website tho!

Answer 3

The heat and flame would burn you up quick!! A mile away might not be enough.

Answer 4

About 1 foot away would kill you

Answer 5

1) the platform

2)you wouldn't be

3)you wouldn't be, you'd just go deaf/faint

Answer 6

I don't know but they move everyone into bunkers far away. I say 100 yards away would kill you because of the smoke and flames after launch. 100 yards would probably make you go def too, but vibrations, I don't think anything would kill you.

Answer 7

1. 100 feet

2/3. both would have to combine to kill a human but NASA estimates 20 feet.

So basically the heat would just kill you outright.

Bystanders must stand at least 2000 feet from the blast zone.

Answer 8

all of them might kill thim but the sound would defaniatly kill you ears

Answer 9

this is the strangest question ive seen yet.