This Is The Fastest Speed Ever Recorded For A Man-Made Object

The closest star beyond the Sun is only four light-years away, yet at the speed of our fastest spacecraft a journey there would still last longer than recorded human civilization

Four light-years sounds close only because astronomy usually deals in much larger numbers. Proxima Centauri is the nearest known star beyond the Sun, but its light still takes about 4.25 years to reach Earth. A spacecraft moving at the fastest speed ever recorded for a human-made object would need roughly 6,600 years to cover the same distance in a straight line. That comparison is an idealisation, and a generous one. The speed record belongs to…

This Is The Fastest Speed Ever Recorded For A Man-Made Object

Mankind has developed and built many different very fast objects, often faster than the speed of sound. What's the fastest recorded man-made object so far?