QUESTION:
How fast can the shuttle go?

ANSWER from Jay Buckey:
To get into orbit around the earth you need to be going 
17500 mph. The shuttle gets up to this speed within 8 minutes. For 
comparison, an airliner goes about 300-400 mph. During re-entry the shuttle 
is going 25 mach or twenty-five times the speed of sound. The fastest fighter 
jets go about mach 2.