List of vehicle speed records

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ThrustSSC, which holds the land speed record as of 2008
ThrustSSC, which holds the land speed record as of 2008

The following is a list of speed records for various categories of vehicles.

Contents

[edit] Land vehicles

Category Speed Vehicle Operator Date
Land speed record 1,228 km/h (763 mph) ThrustSSC Andy Green October 15, 1997
Motorcycle land speed record 564.69 km/h (350.884 mph) BUB Racing Number Seven Streamliner Chris Carr September 5, 2006

[edit] Railed vehicles

Category Speed Vehicle Operator Date
Unmanned railed vehicle (rocket sled) 10,400 km/h (6,462 mph) (unmanned) April 30, 2003
Manned railed vehicle (rocket sled) 1,017 km/h (635 mph) John Stapp
Magnetic levitation train 581 km/h (361 mph) JR-Maglev unknown December 2, 2003
Wheeled train 574.8 km/h (357.18 mph) TGV unknown April 2007

[edit] Aircraft

Category Speed Vehicle Pilot Date
Unmanned air-breathing craft 11,270 km/h (7,000 mph) Boeing X-43A (unmanned) November 16, 2004
Manned air-breathing craft 3,530 km/h (2,194 mph) SR-71 Blackbird Eldon W. Joersz July 28, 1976
Rocket-powered aircraft 7,258 km/h (4,510 mph) North American X-15 'Pete' Knight October 3, 1967
Propeller-driven aircraft 870 km/h (541 mph).[1] Tupolev Tu-114 Ivan Soukhomline[2] 1960
Piston-engined propeller-driven aircraft 850.1 km/h (528.33 mph) Grumman F8F Bearcat "Rare Bear" N777L Lyle Shelton 21 August 1989
Helicopter 401.0 km/h (249.1 mph) Westland Lynx 800 G-LYNX John Egginton 11 August 1986
Human-powered aircraft 32 km/h (19.8 mph)[3] MIT Monarch B Frank Scarabino 1 May 1984

[edit] Watercraft

Category Speed Vehicle Operator Date
Water speed record 511.13 km/h (317.596 mph) Spirit of Australia Ken Warby 8 October 1978
Underwater speed record[4] 33 knots (61 km/h or 38 mph)[5] USS Albacore 1965
Human-powered watercraft 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h or 21.3 mph) Decavitator Mark Drela 27 October 1991
Human-powered submarine 8.035 knots (14.9 km/h or 9.2 mph) Omer 5 2007


[edit] Spacecraft

Category Speed Vehicle Crew Date
Unmanned spacecraft 252,792 km/h (157,078 mph) Helios 2 probe (unmanned) mid 1970s
Manned spacecraft 39,896 km/h (24,790 mph) Apollo 10 Thomas Stafford, John W. Young and Eugene Cernan May 26, 1969
Reentering spacecraft 46,440 km/h (28,856 mph) Stardust probe (unmanned) January 15, 2006

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Tu_114 data from Aerospaceweb Access date: 26 May 2008
  2. ^ FAI official database Access date: 26 May 2008
  3. ^ average speed
  4. ^ Manned military submarines speeds are generally not disclosed, but are believed to be between 35 and 45 knots (40 and 51 mph). Unmanned torpedos speed claims range from 70 to 200 knots (80 mph to 230 mph), with Barracuda claiming 800 km/h.
  5. ^ unofficial — see: A sightseer's guide to engineering - USS Albacore, Port of Portsmouth Maritime Museum & Albacore Park


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Extremes of motion
Speed
Distance
See also