Convert Mile/Hour (mi/h) to Cosmic Velocity - Second (v₂) instantly.
About these units
Mile/Hour (mi/h)
The mile per hour represents the number of miles traveled in one hour and is commonly used in the United States, the UK (in road contexts), and several other countries with legacy imperial systems. mph is deeply woven into cultural habits: driver training, speed limits, vehicular performance, and even athletic achievements are often expressed in miles per hour. In science and engineering, however, mph is rarely used because the mile and hour are not SI units. Still, mph retains strong emotional and historical associations—for example, the significance of a car "breaking 200 mph" or the legendary "88 mph" in popular culture. It persists because measurement units often survive long after their historical origins fade.
Cosmic Velocity - Second (v₂)
The second cosmic velocity is the escape velocity, the speed required to completely overcome a planet's gravitational attraction without further propulsion. For Earth, this speed is about 11.2 km/s. It is higher than v₁ because escaping gravity requires exceeding orbital balance entirely, not merely achieving stable free fall. Escape velocity underlies missions to the Moon, other planets, and deep space probes. Reaching v₂ allows spacecraft to travel along trajectories that leave Earth's gravitational well permanently unless acted on by external forces. This value symbolizes humanity's ability to break free from its home world—a critical milestone in exploration.