Space Shuttle orbiter vs Christ the Redeemer
Space Shuttle orbiter (37.2 m) is 1.24× the size of Christ the Redeemer (30 m).
Christ the Redeemer is 81% of the height of Space Shuttle orbiter. The gap between them is 7.24 m (23.8 ft).
The comparison in numbers
| Thing | Size | In feet | Measured as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Shuttle orbiter | 37.2 m | 122 ft | length |
| Christ the Redeemer | 30 m | 98.4 ft | height |
What the scale shows
Space Shuttle orbiter (37.2 m) is 1.24× the size of Christ the Redeemer (30 m). The gap between them is 7.24 m (23.8 ft). One is among the vehicles & ships and the other among the buildings & towers, so the figures are standing in for different kinds of size — read the basis below.
Draw both on one baseline and the smaller one fills 81% of the frame while the larger one runs to the top. The two are close enough that the difference is easy to see side by side.
Read the rest — 8 more sections
What each figure means
The figure for Space Shuttle orbiter is its length (overall length). The figure for Christ the Redeemer is its height (the statue alone (38 m with its pedestal)).
Crossing them
Walking pace is 1.4 m/s, so crossing Space Shuttle orbiter's 37.2 m takes 27 seconds and Christ the Redeemer's 30 m takes 21 seconds.
In people: Space Shuttle orbiter is 22 adults of 1.7 m tall, Christ the Redeemer is 17.6. By size Space Shuttle orbiter is 13th of the 14 vehicles & ships on this site, while Christ the Redeemer is 23rd of the 23 buildings & towers.
How to read these two figures
Before trusting any comparison, check what each number measures. The Space Shuttle orbiter is given as a length, overall length. The Christ the Redeemer is given as a height, the statue alone (38 m with its pedestal). One is a length and the other is a height, so the drawing stands them side by side by convention: everything is stood upright on a single baseline so one scale can hold. That is a fair way to compare overall extent, not a claim that the two are oriented the same way in real life.
Vehicles are listed by overall length. Rockets are the exception and are given as full stack height standing on the pad. Everything is drawn standing upright so one scale holds. Building heights depend on the rule used: architectural height counts spires but not antennas, tip height counts everything. The basis is named with each figure.
Where the pair sits among all the sizes here
Across all 86 things on this site, the Space Shuttle orbiter is number 61 from the top and the Christ the Redeemer is number 62. No other item falls between them, so in this collection they are direct neighbours.
Because the collection spans 13 mm up to 1,392,700 km, a ratio of 107,130,769,231× from smallest to largest, the position of a pair says a lot: both sit in the lower third of the list.
What the length ratio hides
A length ratio of 1.24× is easy to picture, but area and volume grow faster than length. If two objects had exactly the same shape, the Space Shuttle orbiter would have about 1.54× the surface or footprint of the Christ the Redeemer, and about 1.91× the volume. These two are not the same shape, so treat the figures as an upper bound for an imaginary scaled copy, not as a measurement of either one.
The drawing above shows length only. The Christ the Redeemer is drawn 81% as tall as the Space Shuttle orbiter, but the equivalent share of footprint would be only 64.9%, which is why the smaller one looks even slighter than the numbers alone suggest.
Time to cross each one
A sprinter holding about 10 m/s covers the Space Shuttle orbiter in 3.7 seconds and the Christ the Redeemer in 3 seconds. Sound, at about 343 m/s in air, takes 109 milliseconds for the larger and 87 milliseconds for the smaller. A jet cruising at 900 km/h needs 149 milliseconds and 120 milliseconds.
These times assume a straight line and constant speed, which no real crossing has, but they turn a number in metres into something the body understands. At any fixed speed the travel times keep the same 1.24× ratio as the sizes.
The same figures in other units
The Space Shuttle orbiter measures 37.2 m, which is 122 ft or 40.7 yards. The Christ the Redeemer measures 30 m, which is 98.4 ft.
The difference between them is 7.24 m (23.8 ft). In metres the smaller one is 30 against 37.24, so the 1.24× ratio holds in every unit; only the numbers on the ruler change.
Questions people ask about this pair
Which is bigger, the Space Shuttle orbiter or the Christ the Redeemer?
The Space Shuttle orbiter is bigger. At 37.2 m it is 1.24× the size of the Christ the Redeemer, which is 30 m.
How many times does the Christ the Redeemer fit along the Space Shuttle orbiter?
Less than twice: the Christ the Redeemer is 81% of the size of the Space Shuttle orbiter, so one fits with 7.24 m to spare.
Are the two figures measured the same way?
No. The Space Shuttle orbiter is a length (overall length) and the Christ the Redeemer is a height (the statue alone (38 m with its pedestal)), so read the comparison as overall extent.
How does the gap look in people?
Taking an adult of 1.7 m, the Space Shuttle orbiter is about 22 people tall and the Christ the Redeemer is about 17.6. The gap of 7.24 m is 4.3 people.
Where do the numbers come from?
Each item has its own page that names the measurement and links to the Wikipedia article it was taken from. Some figures are rounded, and animals vary from one individual to the next, so treat them as representative values rather than records for every case.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.