What are the 3 main parts of a space shuttle?

What are the 3 main parts of a space shuttle?

The space shuttle was made of three main parts: the orbiter, the external tank and the solid rocket boosters. The orbiter was the part that looked like an airplane.

How many rockets are on a space shuttle?

The Space Shuttle consists of three major components: the Orbiter which houses the crew; a large External Tank that holds fuel for the main engines; and two Solid Rocket Boosters which provide most of the Shuttle’s lift during the first two minutes of flight.

What are the four main parts of a rocket?

There are four major systems in a full scale rocket; the structural system, the payload system, the guidance system, and the propulsion system.

How big was the space shuttle cabin?

The Orbiter was about 37.1 m (122 ft) long with a wingspan of about 23.8 m (78 ft). The cargo/payload carrying capacity was limited by the 18.3-m- (60-ft)-long by 4.6-m- (15-ft)- wide payload bay.

What’s inside a space shuttle?

The U.S. space shuttle consisted of three major components: a winged orbiter that carried both crew and cargo; an external tank containing liquid hydrogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen (oxidizer) for the orbiter’s three main rocket engines; and a pair of large, solid-propellant, strap-on booster rockets.

What is the most expensive part of a rocket?

Often the payload is the most expensive part of the rocket. A SpaceX launch can cost about $50 M to $90 M and has launched payloads worth over $ 1 billion on a single launch (eg.

Which fuel is used in rocket?

Hydrogen — a light and extremely powerful rocket propellant — has the lowest molecular weight of any known substance and burns with extreme intensity (5,500°F).

How fast does a shuttle fly?

about 17,500 miles per hour
How fast does the shuttle fly? Like any other object in low Earth orbit, the shuttle must reach speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour to remain in orbit. The exact speed depends on the shuttle’s orbital altitude, which normally ranges from 190 to 330 miles above sea level, depending on the mission.

Why did NASA stop using the shuttle?

All of these factors — high costs, slow turnaround, few customers, and a vehicle (and agency) that had major safety problems — combined to make the Bush administration realize it was time for the Space Shuttle Program to retire.

What was the Space Shuttle system made up of?

The space shuttle system was made up of three main components: •The two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), which provided 80 percent of launch thrust. •The orbiter itself (which many people think of as “the shuttle”), which served as the crew’s home in space and was equipped to dock with the International Space Station.

What are the physical characteristics of the Space Shuttle?

Physical Characteristics The Space Shuttle was the most complex space vehicle design of its time. It was comprised of four main components: the External Tank (ET); three Space Shuttle Main Engines; two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs); and the Orbiter vehicle.

How did space shuttles prepare for launch?

During Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, a launch-day rehearsal involving the launch vehicle, flight crew, and launch control was adequate to prepare for launch. The shuttle, however, required more than just one rehearsal.

What determines the direction of a Space Shuttle launch?

The latitude of the launch site was important in determining the direction of launch because it defined the minimum inclination that could be achieved, whereas operational maximum inclinations were defined by range safety limits to avoid landmass. For International Space Station (ISS) missions, the shuttle launched from the