The NASA Space Shuttles

The Space Shuttle is the most complex vehicle ever built, and the most reliable re-usable launch system, capable of carrying large payloads, and up to a seven member crew into orbit.

Basic Data

Length: 37.23 m (56.14 with External Tank and Boosters)
Height: 17.27 m
Wingspan: 23.79 m
Weight: At liftoff 4.5 million pounds , at re-entry 230,000 pounds
Maximum Payload: 63,500 pounds
SRB Separation: Launch +2 minutes
External Tank Separtion: Launch +8.5 minutes (59 nautical miles)
Orbit: 115 to 400 statute miles

The NASA Space Shuttle fleet has been at the forefront of re-usable space vehicles since their debut in 1981, with the first flight of Columbia, with a crew of only two astronauts. There are currently four shuttles including Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavor, and Columbia. A fifth shuttle, Challenger, exploded shortly after liftoff in January of 1986, killing all seven crew members aboard. The accident was caused by a faulty o-ring in one of the solid rocket boosters, (SRB's) which triggered the incident, and grounded the shuttle fleet until 1990, when Discovery made a successful flight, resuming Space Shuttle missions...

Overview

The Orbiter's structure is mainly composed of aluminum, and is divided into the aft fuselage, the mid fuselage, and the forward fuselage. The aft fuselage consists of an outer shell and the engines, as well as the Reaction Control System or RCS thrusters. The Mid fuselage is mainly the payload bay, and joins with the forward fuselage and the wings of the oriter. The forward fuselage contains the three level crew compartment, and many of the Obital Manuevering System or OMS thrusters. The crew compartment consists of the Flight Deck, middeck, and equipment bay, and is connected to the orbiter structure at only 4 points, to minimize heat conductance. On the outside of the Shuttle is a two part insulation system; on the top, thermal blanketing to insulate, and on the bottom, ceramic tiles used as a heat shield against the friction created as the shuttle re-enters Earth's atmosphere...Other parts of the Space Shuttle include its vertical tail with rudder and speed brake, A body flap underneath the main engines to shield them during re-entry, and an airlock from the middeck of the crew compartment, into the payload bay. The Payload bay doors of the shuttle open after the orbiter reaches orbit, to provide heat dissipation. The Crew Compartment is welded, and airtight, with a side hatch and hatches in the airlock to provide for Extravehicular Activities (EVA's). The side hatch can be jettisoned in case of emergency. The three-level compartment is usually pressurized to 14.8 psi during missions, 20% Oxygen, and provides a 'shirt-sleeve' environment for the astronauts on orbit.

Solid Rocket Boosters

The two solid rocket boosters are the large solid propellant rockets ever flown, completely reusable, providing approximately 71 percent of overall launch thrust, in addition to the shuttle's main engines. The SRB's stay with the External tank until separation at 150,000 feet, and then are recovered from the ocean approximately 120 miles downrange. They each weigh in at about 1.3 million pounds at launch, and are attached to the External tank at both ends, and the mobile launch platform by explosive bolts...

External Tank

The external tank is the largest piece of the shuttle consist, housing the fuel to be supplied to the shuttle's main engines during launch at a rate of 47,000 gallons per minute. It is also the connection point for the SRB's, and consists of a liquid oxygen tank, an intertank containing most of the ET's electrical and instrumentaion hardware, and the liquid hydrogen tank. The External Tank is 154 ft. long, and 12.6 feet in diameter, and is connected to the shuttle at three points.

Shuttle Links