Scramjets !!!! It works

Lucio de Souza Coelho wrote:
>
> On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 11:08:03 -0500, Steve Long
> wrote:
> (...)
> > I think the gravity equation uses r-squared as the divisor, so that if
> you
> > assume that Earth's surface is 6400 km from the "center of gravity"
> then at
> > about 1440 km (900 miles) altitude you've lost half of your "weight",
> which
> > I think would be pretty noticeable.
> >
> > Or have I screwed up my math? ... 30 years of writing computer
> > programs that summarize invoices have rotted my brain. :-)
> (...)
>
> Uh... To get half of your weight, you would have to be
> 6400*sqrt(2)50 Km far from the center of Earth - that is,
> 9050-6400&50 Km altitude.
>

See! Stay away from business programming applications, they'll rot your
mind!! You're right, of course. I think I was looking at the 1/3 point,
not the 1/2 point.

Steve <-- enrolling in Remedial Math for First Graders tomorrow ...