As on any shuttle mission its vital for the safety of the crew to be sure the maximum acceleration at lift off is not excessive.
A model for the velocity of the shuttle from lift off at time t = 0s until the solid fuel boosters are jettisoned at t = 126s is given by:
(in feet per second).
Estimate maximum acceleration of the shuttle during lift off.
(Recall acceleration is the derivative of the velocity)
Acceleration due to gravity is approximately 32 feet/second.
How many gs (multiples of acceleration due to gravity) do the astronauts experience?