Convert Foot/Second (ft/s) to Cosmic Velocity - Third (v₃) instantly.
About these units
Foot/Second (ft/s)
The foot per second is an imperial speed unit used in engineering, ballistics, aviation, and certain sports sciences. It expresses the number of feet traveled per second. Ballistics experts use ft/s to measure bullet velocities and projectile speeds, particularly in countries with strong imperial-unit traditions. Engineers may use ft/s in fluid flow calculations or mechanical system design when working with legacy data. Although ft/s is rarely seen in daily life, it remains relevant in niche disciplines where imperial units dominate, offering a smaller, more precise scale than mph.
Cosmic Velocity - Third (v₃)
The third cosmic velocity is the speed required to escape the entire Solar System from Earth's orbit, overcoming the gravitational pull of the Sun. This speed is approximately 16.7 km/s, though missions often achieve this gradually using gravitational assists rather than brute-force acceleration. Space probes such as Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and New Horizons have exceeded v₃, making them interstellar travelers. The third cosmic velocity represents the threshold where an object ceases to be bound to the Sun and begins drifting through the galaxy—one of the most profound expansions of human technological capability.