# How much does an empty space shuttle weigh compared to a full 747 load of passengers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-empty-space-shuttle-weigh-compared-to-a-full-747-load-of-passengers/316113 "2005-08-08T14:47:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-empty-space-shuttle-weigh-compared-to-a-full-747-load-of-passengers/316113/21 "2005-08-10T03:06:23Z")
Straight up? Just go watch an [F-15 Eagle](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-15-design.htm) > [@](#): > > . This gives the Eagle a total of 50,000 pounds of thrust. In other words, a nominally loaded F-15 Eagle of 48,000 pounds has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.04 pounds of thrust to each pound of aircraft weight. Thrust of this caliber allows an F-15 to accelerate while going straight up! A specially modified F-15A Eagle known as the “Streak Eagle” was able to outclimb a Saturn V Moon Rocket to almost 60,000 feet. This same aircraft flew to 98,430 feet (30,000 meters) in 207.80 seconds (less than 3 minutes and 30 seconds). I used to have an office just off the south runway at PDX. The home town Air Force (Oregon ANG) flies F-15s. Every once and a while they would take off then go straight up on burner. Where they pulled vertical was right over my office. The concrete walls in the building would shake. Man what a sound! I was told once that they did one of these take-offs anytime the engine had been out of the airframe. Don’t know if it was true, but I do miss the sound of those engines. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-empty-space-shuttle-weigh-compared-to-a-full-747-load-of-passengers/316113/22 "2005-08-10T03:33:43Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Straight up? Just go watch an [F-15 Eagle](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-15-design.htm) I used to live near Martin State airport in Baltimore. Every year they have an airshow. One year, two F-15’s went roaring across the runway at some ungodly speed, then when they got to the end of the runway they went straight up. It was way cool. Of course they went straight up so damn fast they strayed into commerical airspace and got themselves in big trouble, but still, it was way cool to watch. The next year, during the air show I heard this loud boom and thought there go those damn F-15’s showing off again. Then I heard a bunch of sirens come through my neighborhood. It turned out it wasn’t F-15’s showing off, it was a stealth fighter who lost his wing (due to one lousy bolt, IIRC) and came crashing down in our neighborhood. It literally flattened a house. ---
**Author:** ![EnderWay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d26b3c/32.png) [@EnderWay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnderWay)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-empty-space-shuttle-weigh-compared-to-a-full-747-load-of-passengers/316113/23 "2005-08-11T00:33:00Z")
> [@CC](#): > > When the shuttle lands at Edwards, it has to be ferried back to Florida on the back of a specially fitted 747. That’s a pretty heavy load, I imagine. But maybe not, compared to the weight of 200 (300?) some passengers and their luggage. I can’t find anything that would allow me to compare the weight of the shuttle with the weight that a loaded 747 carries. What would be a good estimate? xo, C. Yes, I remeberd correctly … they did it in 1983 to Paris! \*The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center \* _NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until Nov. 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, **NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show**._ [Source](http://www.awesome80s.com/Awesome80s/Tech/Space/Shuttle/Shuttle_Carrier_Aircraft.asp) [Source 2](http://visearth.ucsd.edu:16080/VisE_teach/SpaceMath/STSBackground.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-an-empty-space-shuttle-weigh-compared-to-a-full-747-load-of-passengers/316113.md?page=1)