Related topics: international space station , nasa , astronauts , space , space shuttle atlantis
Space Shuttle
hideNASA's Space Shuttle, officially named the Space Transportation System (STS), is the spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions and is scheduled to be retired from service in 2010. At launch, it consists of a rust-colored external tank (ET), two white, slender Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), and the orbiter, which is a winged spaceplane in the narrowest sense.
The orbiter carries astronauts and payload such as satellites or space station parts into low earth orbit, into the Earth's upper atmosphere or thermosphere. Usually, five to seven crew members ride in the orbiter. The payload capacity is 22,700 kilograms (50,000 lb). When the orbiter's mission is complete it fires its Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) thrusters to drop out of orbit and re-enters the lower atmosphere. During the descent, the shuttle orbiter decelerates from hypersonic speed primarily by aerobraking and then for the landing phase it acts as a glider, making a completely unpowered (deadstick) landing.
For more information about Space Shuttle, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with space shuttle
Superconductor magnet spacecraft heat shield being developed
Nov 26, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (44) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- European space agencies and an aerospace giant are developing a new re-entry heat shield that will use superconductor magnets to generate a magnetic field strong enough to deflect the superhot ...
Russia hopes nuclear ship will fly humans to Mars
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 29, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (33) |
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(AP) -- Russia should build a new nuclear-powered spaceship for prospective manned missions to Mars and other planets, the nation's space chief said Thursday.
Sir Richard Branson All Fired Up With Latest Rocket Motor Test
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 31, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (15) |
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Virgin Galactic owned by Sir Richard Branson completed a successful test on May 28, 2009 of its hybrid nitrous oxide motor designed by Scaled Composites and a subcontractor Sierra Nevada Corporation. The ...
Obama space panel says moon return plan is a no-go (Update)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 08, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (15) |
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(AP) -- A White House panel of independent space experts says NASA's return-to-the-moon plan just won't fly.
Space shuttle science shows how 1908 Tunguska explosion was caused by a comet
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 24, 2009 |
3.4 / 5 (19) |
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The mysterious 1908 Tunguska explosion that leveled 830 square miles of Siberian forest was almost certainly caused by a comet entering the Earth's atmosphere, says new Cornell University research. The conclusion ...
Space panel considers alternatives to NASA's plan for moon base
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 31, 2009 |
5 / 5 (11) |
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A presidential space panel on Thursday challenged NASA's vision of establishing a base on the moon and instead weighed other ambitious options that include free-ranging spaceships that could visit destinations throughout ...
US scientists plan greenhouses on the Moon
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 15, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (11) |
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Astronauts' meals have come a long way from the freeze-dried powders and semi-liquid pastes of decades ago: now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini-greenhouses on the Moon.
NASA puts new Ares I-X rocket on launch pad for test flight
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 20, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (10) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time in more than a quarter century, a new vehicle is sitting at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ares I-X flight test vehicle arrived at the pad ...
Panel says NASA should skip moon, fly elsewhere (Update)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 23, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (12) |
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(AP) -- NASA needs to make a major detour on its grand plans to return astronauts to the moon, a special independent panel told the White House Thursday.
Scientists use low-gravity space station lab to study crystal growth
Sep 21, 2009 |
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A research project 10 years in the making is now orbiting the Earth, much to the delight of its creator Rohit Trivedi, a senior metallurgist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory. Equipment recently ...
White House orders review of NASA space plans
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 07, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The White House has ordered a complete outside review of NASA's manned space program, including plans to return astronauts to the moon.
NASA manager pitches a cheaper return-to-moon plan
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jun 30, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (9) |
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(AP) -- Like a car salesman pushing a luxury vehicle that the customer no longer can afford, NASA has pulled out of its back pocket a deal for a cheaper ride to the moon.
Hubble telescope to get last tuneup during International Year of Astronomy
Dec 31, 2008 |
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From troubled beginnings nearly 18 years ago, the Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized astronomy and its stunning images have stirred the imaginations of people around the globe.
Hubble: From cosmic joke to cherished eye in space
May 10, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
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(AP) -- Using the power of pictures, the Hubble Space Telescope has snapped away at the mystery of the universe.
NASA is 'go' for crucial rocket test
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 25, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
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NASA is set to blast off a prototype rocket on Tuesday that carries hopes of returning humans to the Moon, and for the first time to Mars, despite deep uncertainty about the program's future.
