Going fast.  Maverick and Goose definitely had it right when they said they had, "the need.... the need for speed."  If something moves, somebody else wants to know how fast it goes, and what version is fastest.  There's no denying it, the need for speed is in our blood.

23.2 MPH	48 MPH	65 MPH	68 MPH	70 MPH
81 MPH	196 MPH	200 MPH	257 MPH	317 MPH
763 MPH	6453 MPH	3147 MPH	17,600 MPH	153,800 MPH

Fastest Manned Vehicle - 17,600 MPH

If you want to go for a fast ride, there is no manned vehicle faster than the space shuttle. Making its maiden flight in 1981, the Space Shuttle has maintained its fastest manned vehicle crown for almost three decades now. Reaching 3094mph with its rockets the real speed kicks in when the shuttle goes into orbit. In less than nine minutes after launch, the shuttle reaches an orbiting speed of approximately 17,600mph. The space shuttles main engine weighs one seventh as much as a train engine, but delivers 39 times more horsepower. After 133 flights, the space shuttle will be retired in 2010 and be replaced with the Orion.

World's Fastest Rocket Sled - 6453 MPH

Rocket... Sled... when combined the two just bring images of 100% pure adrenaline-riddled awesome. Rocket sleds are the world's fastest railed vehicles. And yes, it's just as it sounds. You attach a sled to rails (like those used by a train) and slap a rocket on top of it. On April 30th, 2003 at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, United States an unmanned rocket sled reached 6453mph, or more simply, Mach 8.5. The sled used a four stage rocket, with a 192lbs payload. And if this ridiculous speed wasn't enough, the United States Air Force put a big red cherry on top of this sundae by deliberately crashing the whole thing into a target when it was at top speed. Good times.

Fastest Airplane - Mach 6

The title of world's fastest airplane goes to the retired SR-71 Blackbird, a search and reconnaissance aircraft built by Lockheed Skunk Works, the same company who would later build the stealth fighter. The plane's cruising speed was Mach 3.2. Thirty-Two of the planes were built and over their history approximately 4000 enemy missiles were fired in an attempt to shoot them down. Zero missiles succeeded. Standard evasive action to avoid the missiles was to simply accelerate. When the SR-71 Blackbird was finally retired after 32 years of service in 1998, the public found it hard to believe that the United States government would continue on without a spy plane. Orbital mechanics can require 24 hours for a satellite to get into position. A spy plane is obviously much faster. One of the more enduring rumors regarding the SR-71's replacement is that of the SR-91 Aurora, an American spy plane capable of exceeding Mach 6. Today it is believed that the Aurora program has also been cancelled in favor of an unmanned spy plane drone capable of speeds as high as Mach 12.

World's Fastest Rocket Car - 763 MPH

Strap a couple of rockets to a set of wheels, saddle up, and hit the ignition. Yes, there's a whole lot of blood, sweat, tears, and engineering that goes along with that, but rocket cars are definitely one of the world's ultimate rides. On October 15th, 1997 the ThrustSSC set the World Land Speed Record at 763mph and became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier. This record, as the name indicates, requires that the vehicle be on land, as opposed to rails. The ThrustSSC was driven by Royal Air Force fighter pilot Andy Green. The drive took place in the Black Rock desert of Nevada, United States. The ThrustSSC was powered by two afterburning Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines. The same engines used in British F-4 Phantom II fighter jets.

World's Fastest Boat 317 MPH

On October 8, 1978 Ken Warby broke the Water Speed Record with a speed of 317.6mph. The run occurred at Blowering Dam, roughly 250 miles southwest of Sydney, Australia. Warby's boat, the "Spirit of Australia" was built in Warby's backyard. Warby, a Makita salesman, teamed up with two leading aircraft men, Crandal and Cox, to achieve his goal. Together, they were able to refurbish the boat's power source, a Westinghouse J34 jet engine that Warby had purchased as military surplus for a whole $69. Warby's record breaking run was also the first time anyone had broken 300mph in a boat and lived to tell the tale. Warby's hero, Don Campbell, died when he crashed at 320mph while trying to beat the record in 1967. To this day, no one else has broken the 300mph barrier, let alone come close to Warby's record.

Fastest Production Car - 257 MPH

In 2006 a new production car was released by a company well known to American sports car enthusiasts, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT built by Shelby Super Cars. Today, the car sports a 6.3 liter engine with 1,183 horsepower and 1094lb-ft of torque at 6150 rpm. The car sells for approximately half a million dollars. In the fall of 2007, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT claimed the title of fastest production car in the world from the Bugatti Veyron. Top speed of the Aero is verified as 257mph. Plans are currently in the works for an all electric version of the car. An electric prototype is expected in February 2009 with production beginning at the end of that year.

World's Fastest Bird - 105MPH and 200 MPH

Two birds hold the title for world's fastest bird, and for two different reasons. The Spine-tailed Swift is the world's fastest bird when it comes to horizontal, flapping flight. In the air, they are capable of cruising at 105mph. Their short legs minimize drag, and are primarily utilized for clinging to vertical surfaces where they make their nests. The birds also rarely voluntarily settle on the ground as they spend most of their lives in the air where they catch their insect prey. The other bird sharing the fastest bird title, is also holder of the crown for world's fastest animal, the Peregrine Falcon. In horizontal flight the Peregrine Falcon is comparable to other raptor type birds. It is one particular behavior that gives the Falcon it's reputation for speed. When hunting, Peregrine Falcons will fly to great height then dive steeply for their prey. During this stoop, the falcon can reach over 200mph. Veering downwards, the Falcon will collide into the wing of its prey. Peregrine Falcons typically hunt pigeons, doves, waterfowl, and songbirds.

Fastest Production Motorcycle - 196 MPH

There's some debate here, unlike the fastest production car that's fairly clear cut. What constitutes "production" for a motorcycle? How custom-modified is the motorcycle allowed to be? The general consensus, however, tends to revolve around one particular motorcycle, the 1999-2000 Suzuki Hayabusa. Suzuki claimed the motorcycle could surpass the 200mph mark. It's more likely the bike was capable of somewhere around 196mph. That's still blazingly fast, and for $11,999 a bit of a steal in the mph to dollar ratio. There is one major controversy regarding the Hayabusa. In the 2001 the major sport-bike manufacturers agreed to a self imposed limit on maximum speed to avoid inevitable government regulation. Since then, motorcycles have been limited to 186mph. It's possible that a newer motorcycle could break the record if it wasn't limited. The fact remains though that the limit is in effect, so the 1999-2001 Suzuki Hayabusa remains the fastest production motorcycle available.

World's Fastest Bicycle - 81 MPH

If you're looking for fast bicycles, the place to go to is the "World Human Powered Speed Challenge". There, enthusiasts build custom bicycles designed for one thing alone, speed. The bicycles lack the number of gears typically found in normal high-end bicycles. That being said, first gear of these custom bicycles can be harder to pedal than the top gear of a normal bicycle. Streamlining is of course important. The bikes are low, narrow, and possess unusually thin tires. Skins made of plastic, fiberglass and other materials are used to incase the rider and his bicycle in a shell rendering them even more aerodynamic. In 2002, a man by the name of Sam Wittingham set the record that still stands today, 81 mph.

World's Fastest Mammal - 70 MPH

Is there any question? The fastest mammal in the world is the cheetah, which is capable of running 70-75mph over distances of up to 1500 feet. The cheetah's body, while appearing to be nothing more than a slender cat, is built with a number of adaptations allowing for its great speed. The cheetah's nostrils are enlarged, allowing for greater oxygen intake. The heart and lungs are also enlarged allowing for oxygen to circulate more efficiently. Cheetahs also possess a type of semi retractable claws only found in three other cat species. These claws give the cheetah superior traction compared to other cats. The cheetah's tail is also adapted to act as a rudder, allowing the cheetah to out-turn, and therefore out-flank, its prey even at great speeds.

World's Fastest Sea Creature - 68 MPH

Related to the Marlin, the Indo-Pacific Sailfish is the fastest creature in the sea. They feed on mackerel, tuna, and other especially fast fish that would be considered safe from most predators, because of their great speed. The Indo-Pacific Sailfish is able to hunt these animals because of it's own record topping speed of 68mph. Surprisingly, relatively little is known about this speed demon of the sea, as they tend to migrate and stay hundreds of miles off shore. Most information currently known about these fish comes from the experience fishermen have had with them. Divers have reported seeing these fish hunt as teams, utilizing their large retractable fins to block and corral smaller prey.

World's Fastest Olympic Sport - 65 MPH

One might think that the fastest Olympic sport is the luge, but there's a sport that's even faster, Alpine skiing. The luge, which involves an individual on a sled sliding down a track made of concrete an ice, has an average speed of 62mph. Alpine skiing, however, has an average speed of 65mph. That's fast for a car on the freeway, let alone a person sliding down a mountain with minimal gear and protection. Skiing is already known as one of the Olympics most dangerous sports; with speeds like this, one can see why.

World's Fastest Submarine 48 MPH

Fitted with a revolutionary titanium-alloy hull and a nuclear reactor cooled with molten lead, the Soviet Union/Russian Navy Project 705 Lyra (the Alfa class submarine) was the fastest and one of the deepest diving submarines in the world. Capable of sustained speeds of 42 knots and bursts of up to 45 knots while submerged, the Alfa's purpose was that of an interceptor. Its intended capability was to remain in harbor or on patrol then race to meet with any opposing threat. Reports of the submarine created alarm in the United States and Great Britain as not only was the Alfa the fastest submarine in the water, it was also able to make complete 180 degree turns from top speed in only 40 seconds. This meant it could outmaneuver a torpedo. The US ADCAP torpedo program and British Spearfish torpedo were both in response to this submarine. Although now retired, the Alfa still maintains the title of the world's fastest submarine.

World's Fastest Human - 23.2 MPH

This is a record written in sand as it changes a lot.  Recently, however, the line was drawn a bit deeper.  At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a Jamaican by the name of Usain Bolt (fitting surname, I know) broke the world record for the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.  This made Bolt the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win all three events at the same Olympics.  Substuntially more impressive, however, this made Bolt the first man in history to break all three records at the same Olympics.  So how fast did he run?  23.2mph.  Granted, he's certainly capable higher burst speeds, but as sustained speed is required for everything else on this list, we'll require it here too. We'd love to show you the real race, but hey NBC kept pulling them off YouTube, yeah sucks we know, you can watch it here if you have firelight.

What's the Fastest Man-Made Object? It's the Helios spacecraft which travels at 153,800 MPH

The Helios Spacecraft, or more specifically, the Helios 2 is the fastest man made object ever. The Helios spacecraft were two probes developed by the USA and West Germany in the 70's to study the Sun. What gave the spacecraft their immense speed, were the crafts' elliptical orbits. At the apex of its orbit, the Helion 2 would reach 45,360 mph. As it passed by the Sun, however, the Helios 2 would reach up to 153,800 mph. The Helios continued to function as late as 1985, and is still orbiting the sun today.

Whether it be a vehicle, an animal, or the human himself, man is fascinated by speed, and most likely always will be.