Max q

<p>The max q, or maximum dynamic pressure, condition is the point when an <a href="/facts/Aerospace_engineering/2Ib02w7f">aerospace</a> vehicle's <a href="/facts/Atmosphere/oUpLaGRF">atmospheric</a> flight reaches the maximum difference between the <a href="/facts/Fluid_dynamics/y7uzSCfg">fluid dynamics</a> <a href="/facts/Total_pressure_(fluids)/Y7urHvPr">total pressure</a> and the ambient <a href="/facts/Static_pressure/ealK4UlR">static pressure</a>. For an <a href="/facts/Airplane/81161IpU">airplane</a>, this occurs at the maximum speed at minimum altitude corner of the <a href="/facts/Flight_envelope/PENpMquK">flight envelope</a>. For a <a href="/facts/Space_vehicle/aVPHlm59">space vehicle</a> launch, this occurs at the crossover point between <a href="/facts/Dynamic_pressure/StNXM0sf">dynamic pressure</a> increasing with speed and static pressure decreasing with increasing altitude. This is an important design factor of aerospace vehicles, since the aerodynamic <a href="/facts/Structural_load/MAxjDyhc">structural load</a> on the vehicle is proportional to dynamic pressure.
</p>

Max q open-in-new

Max q