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A Versatile Vehicle Crew Accommodations Orbiter Insulation the Parts of the Space Shuttle

A Versatile Vehicle Crew Accommodations Orbiter Insulation the Parts of the Space Shuttle

The Shuttle’s for usefulness as a platform on-orbit servic- ing of was demonstrated during the STS-61 Hubble servicing mission in 1993.Hubble servicing Spacewalking astronauts successfully completed repairs and upgrades to the Hubble telescope while it was temporarily stored in the orbiter Endeavour’s payload bay. in orbit and has helped unlock manyfully serviced of eration. The was success- and then re-boosted to its proper orbit begin op- in dramatic fashion by Shuttle astronauts, repaired tions stranded in a useless orbit was retrieved environment. An INTELSAT commercial communica- where it yielded a wealth of new data on the space years before it was recovered to Earth, and returned a free-flying payload, remained in orbit almost six launch. The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), for a more extensiveEarth overhaul and another them to spacecraft in orbit, or return repair or service can be used again and again. flight, the Shuttle orbiter and solid boosters manned spacecraft, which were good for only one heavy orbit. payloads into Earth But unlike earlier and lands on a runway, like an airplane. like a spaceship,then maneuvers around the Earth, Shuttle, takes off like a rocket. The winged orbiter A Versatile Vehicle The Shuttle also provides a new capability, to large and The is designed to carry aerospace vehicle,The first true the Space Challenger (lost in an accident Jan. 28, 1986), Dis- operational orbiters were built: (in order) Columbia, outside Washington,seum at Dulles Airport D.C. Five operations in space. It is now at the Smithsonian Mu- signed for flight tests in the atmosphere rather than first orbiter built which was was de- the Enterprise, number.which has a name in addition to part The unique among space vehicles. major component reusability of the Shuttle make it pended on each flight. The high cargo capacity and etc., for 20 launches. tank is ex- Only the external rocket booster casings, engine nozzles, parachutes, designed to last 100 flights minimum, and the solid other launch. The complex and expensive orbiter is ponents can be refurbished and made ready for an- manned spacecraft, the most expensive Shuttle com- time and money. In addition, again unlike prior and human programs, saves both at sea techniques used in the Mercury,ery Gemini unlike the expensive parachute descent and recov- neighbors. to Earth’s journey planetary orbit and begin their also use the IUS to exit Earth , are launched from the Space Shuttle. They mission to or the mission to on-board engine fires to “circularize” the orbit. deployment from the Shuttle orbiter. At altitude an or the smaller (PAM), after Upper Stage (IUS), propulsion unit, such as an Inertial Spacecraft reach this altitude by an attached firing such appear to hang motionless in the sky. that of the Earth’s surface below. From the ground with the equator, with a speed in orbit that matches 22,300 miles (35,888 kilometers) above and aligned as geosynchronous orbit. This is a flight path about at once,world at a much operate higher level known munications satellites that can “see” a third of the ing lives. search Satellite, remain there throughout their work- the environment-monitoring Upper Atmosphere Re- (185-402 meters) altitude. Some, such as Hubble or orbit — about 115 to 250 miles tially enter low Earth world. of the modern pensable part most entire nations. Satellites have become an indis- tions satellites, can provide television coverage to single channel, one out of 24 on many communica- together.ing the people and nations of world A ellites also provide communications, worldwide link- raphy and many applications. other space-borne Sat- ing, navigation, fishing, farming, mapping, oceanog- environmental protection, energy, weather forecast- improvements were made. the mysteries of the universe since the repairs and

The orbiter is the only part of the Space Shuttle The orbiter is the only part The ability of the Shuttle to land on a runway, explorers, such as the Sometimes interplanetary Many spacecraft, such as the weather and com- All satellites released from a Space Shuttle ini- Satellites today play a major role in the fields of

The orbiter Columbia returns to Kennedy’sThe orbiter Columbia returns , completing Mission STS-62 on March 18, 1994. All four orbiters in the Shuttle fleet are now equipped with a drag chute that is deployed during landing to assist in stop- ping and to provide greater stability in the event of a flat tire or steering problem. standing 154 feet (47 meters) long and 28 feet (8.5 when at full power. gallons (242,240 liters) of propellants each minute over eight minutes, while together drawing 64,000 the required design minimum. forThe engines burn flight experience and is about 2.7 percent better than cent at liftoff (at sea level). This figure is derived from lion newtons) when operating at 104 per- of thrust engines, each producing 400,500 pounds (1.781 mil- 37,800 pounds (17,146 kilograms) into orbit. about mission, a Space Shuttle can carry particular SPACEHAB. Depending on the requirements of entific laboratories such as the or ety of shapes and sizes, and for fully equipped sci- accommodations for unmanned spacecraft in a vari- meters) wide. The bay is flexible enough to provide load bay 60 feet (18.3 meters) long and 15 feet (4.6 ers may slightly from unit to unit. vary eral shape of a DC-9 commercial jet airplane. Orbit- 79,000 kilograms) empty. It is about the size and gen- weighs from 168,000 to 175,000 pounds (76,000 high, has a wingspan of 78 feet (24 meters), and 122 feet (37 meters) long and 57 feet (17 meters) 4.5 million pounds (2.041 kilograms) at liftoff. winged orbiter. The assembled Shuttle weighs about two solid rocket boosters, tank and a an external The Parts of the Space Shuttle ment). covery, Atlantis and Endeavour (Challenger’s replace- The orbiter is mated to the huge external tank, An orbiter is equipped for flight with three main its cargo in a cavernousThe orbiter carries pay- The orbiter carries the crew and payload. It is The flight components of the Space Shuttle are

astronauts. The living, eating and sleeping area for payload specialists, who are usually not career NASA controls on the left. The latter are often operated by side of the cabin, and payloadtrols are on the right the payload bay. Mission operations displays and con- which handles elements in Manipulator System arm sion specialist astronaut uses to operate the Remote through two windows, contains the controls a mis- A station at the rear, overlooking the payload bay the mission commander and pilot located in front. upper level, the flight deck, with the flight controls for end of the orbiter. They operate the vehicle from the The crew occupies a two-level cabin at the forward seven people; 10 could be carried in an emergency. Crew Accommodations at the end of mission. neuvers in orbit, and to slow the vehicle for re-entry upper rear. The OMS engines are used for major ma- fuel, from on-board tanks carried in two pods at the ide as the oxidizer and monomethyl hydrazine as the gines located on the orbiter. They nitrogen tetrox- burn two System (OMS) en- smaller Orbital Maneuvering liftoff is 7.0175 million pounds (31.2 newtons). of the Space Shuttle at at 104 percent, total thrust Together with the orbiter’s three main engines firing ally declining for the remainder of a two-minute burn. for the first few seconds after ignition, before gradu- lion pounds (12.935 million newtons) each of thrust experience indicates they produce about 2.908 mil- catalyst, all held together by a polymer binder. Flight num perchlorate as the oxidizer and iron oxide as a of a mixture aluminum powder as the fuel, alumi- (589,670 kilograms). Their solid propellant consists diameter, and each weighs 1.3 million pounds feet (45.4 meters) high and 12.2 feet (3.7 meters) in by its two solid rocket boosters. Each booster is 149.1 carded. throughout the ascent into orbit, and is then dis- these propellants to the main engines of orbiter (1.773 million liters) of liquid hydrogen. The tank feeds (659,170 liters) of liquid oxygen and 390,000 gallons ner tanks provide a maximum of 145,000 gallons million pounds (762,048 kilograms) at liftoff. Two in- meters) in diameter. The tank weighs a total of 1.68

Orbiter Insulation They tended to be heavy and were not reusable. flaked away into Earth’s atmosphere. off heat from the surface entry the fiery in small pieces to carry — during degrees Celsius (2,300 Fahrenheit). Previous crewed spacecraft used heat shields that ablated — while the opposite side is red-hot. These lightweight tiles are made to survive temperatures of up 1,260 mary heat shield for the orbiter.mary This material sheds heat so readily that one side can be held in bare hands

Nominal crew size for a Shuttle flight is up to In-orbit maneuvering capability is provided by Most of the Shuttle’s power at liftoff is provided

A special silicon-based insulation in the form of 100 square-inch (average) tiles serves as pri-

On the first Space Shuttle flight — STS-1 in 1981 Pilot Robert Crippen floats effortlessly in the microgravity of ments are involved. Shuttle crews if activities that have unique require- specialized onboard duties. They may be added to astronauts — including foreign citizens — who have or other highly qualified specialists. tions. Mission specialists are scientists, physicians aircraft who also must qualifica- meet other rigorous with at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time in jet highly qualified individuals the pilot astronaut corps, cialists. The commander and pilot are selected from pilot, mission specialists and sometimes payload spe- the flight also may be stowed in middeck lockers. a toilet, bunks and other amenities. for Experiments below the flight deck. It contains pre-packaged food, off-duty crew members, called the middeck, is located space, inside the middeck of orbiter Columbia. Payload specialists are persons other than NASA A typical Shuttle crew includes a commander and Shuttle crews experience a designed maximum chute into the ocean about 160 miles (258 kilome- in the orbiter middeck, and two single or double racks load of 3g during launch, and less than 1.5g ters) from the launch site. Two special recovery ships for experiments. In addition, there is access to the Information Summaries during re-entry. These accelerations are about one- pull the parachutes out of the water and tow the rocket exterior of the module for experiments requiring ex- third the levels experienced on previous U.S. human casings to land, where they are refurbished and sent posure to the space environment. Two SPACEHAB . Many other features of the Space back to the manufacturer to be refilled with propel- modules have been built. Shuttle, such as a standard sea-level atmosphere, lant. Space Shuttle The Spacelab or SPACEHAB remain in the or- make spaceflight more comfortable for the astronaut. The orbiter continues into space — a total of biter payload bay throughout the mission. After land- over eight minutes of burn-time on the three main ing, the laboratory is removed and preparations be- engines — and then separates from the external tank. gin to configure it for its next flight. The latter breaks up as it re-enters the atmosphere Typical Shuttle Mission over an uninhabited area of the Indian Ocean. The rotation of the Earth has a significant effect On most missions the orbiter enters an elliptical and Space on the payload capabilities of the Space Shuttle. A orbit, then coasts around the Earth to the opposite Applications due east launch from the in side. The OMS engines then fire long enough to sta- Florida uses the Earth’s rotation as a launch assist, bilize and circularize the orbit. On some missions The Space Shuttle is scheduled to carry many since the ground is turning to the east at that point at the OMS engines also are fired soon after the exter- of the component parts of the international space During the first untethered space walk in 10 years, Mission a speed of 915 miles (1,473 kilometers) per hour. nal tank separates if more velocity is needed to reach station into orbit and to provide an initial base for Specialist Mark Lee tests the new Simplified Aid for Extra- assembly operations. At 290 feet (88.4 meters) long Spacecraft and other payload items arrive at the the desired altitude for the burn that circularizes the vehicular Rescue (SAFER) system. The 28th space walk Kennedy Space Center and are assembled and orbit. Later OMS burns can raise or adjust this orbit, and 361 feet (110 meters) across, the space station of the Shuttle program took place on Mission STS-64 in will be the largest assembly ever erected in space. It checked out in special buildings before being loaded if required by the needs of the mission. A typical September 1994. into the orbiter. Each Shuttle arrives as a set of com- Shuttle flight lasts about ten days, but modifications also represents the largest cooperative scientific pro- ponent parts. The solid rocket booster propellant seg- now being performed will enable some orbiters to equipment, the first step in the process which will gram in space history, and will include contributions ments are received and checked out in a special fa- stay in space for up to 16 days. result in another launch of this particular orbiter. from NASA, Japan, Canada, the member nations of the European Space Agency and Russia. cility, then taken to the Vehicle Assembly Building After completing mission objectives, which might (VAB) and stacked on a to People operating inside the microgravity of a include deploying a spacecraft, operating onboard Spacelab and SPACEHAB: form two complete . The external tank is re- scientific instruments or conducting experiments, the space station can produce products difficult or im- ceived and prepared for flight in the VAB, then mated orbiter re-enters the atmosphere and lands. Kennedy Science in Orbit possible to make on Earth, such as power genera- to the solid rockets. An orbiter is checked out in the Space Center is considered the prime end-of-mis- tion from sunlight. In addition, such an orbiting plat- Orbiter Processing Facility, then moved to the VAB Periodically the Shuttle is scheduled to carry a form can provide astronomers and other scientists sion landing site, while , complete scientific laboratory into Earth orbit. Two and attached to the external tank. A giant crawler- Calif., is the alternate. Unlike prior crewed space- with an excellent vantage point above the distorting transporter picks up the mobile launcher platform and configurations are available, the Spacelab and the atmosphere from which they can study the composi- craft, which followed a ballistic trajectory upon re- SPACEHAB. These modules are similar to a small the assembled Shuttle and takes them to the pad. entry, the orbiter has a cross range capability (can tion and structures of our universe in ways not pos- The Shuttle remains on the platform until liftoff. but well-equipped laboratory on Earth, but designed sible on the ground. move to the right or left off the straight line of its for zero-gravity operation. They provide a shirt-sleeve, The orbiter’s main engines ignite first and build entry path) of about 1,270 miles (2,045 kilometers). pressurized environment where crew members can Other applications are the economical manufac- to full power before the huge solid rockets ignite and The landing speed is from about 212 to 226 miles perform scientific tests utilizing the high vacuum and turing in zero gravity of presently very expensive liftoff occurs. The solid rockets burn out after about (341 to 364 kilometers) per hour. The orbiter is im- microgravity of orbital space. They also can make as- medical drugs, or glass for lenses, or electronic crys- two minutes, are separated from the tank, and para- mediately “safed” by a ground crew with special tronomical observations above the Earth’s obscur- tals of unrivaled purity and size, as well as various ing atmosphere. alloys, composites and metallic materials impossible to produce on Earth. Drugs, metals, glass, and pro- Two complete Spacelabs (plus instrument-car- Improved Space Suit and Unique Rescue System Developed for Shuttle tein and electronic crystals will first be manufactured rying platforms exposed to space, called “pallets”) in pilot programs on board various Shuttle missions, the JohnsonAn improved Space Center, space Houston, suit and Tex.an independent Johnson is responsiblerescue unit forhave mission been planning,developed and for providesthe Shuttle ground by have been built by the European Space Agency proving the concept before larger scale operations control and support during each flight. The space suit is for use when a crew member is working outside the (ESA), which paid for the development expense and begin. manufacturing costs of the first one. NASA purchased pressurized crew cabin, Spacelab or SPACEHAB modules. the second unit. The Space Shuttle is overall the most capable vehicle built since the space program began, and the Unlike earlier suits, each of which was tailored to an astronaut’s specific measurements, the Shuttle Spacelab experiments for a particular mission major means of providing humanity with the limitless era space suits come in small, medium and large sizes, and can be adjusted to fit both men and women. A may be sponsored and/or organized by a nation, such suit comes in two parts — upper torso and pants — and each part is pressure-sealed, unlike previous suits benefits available from space exploration and utili- as the German D-1 and D-2 flights and the Spacelab- zation. that were zipper-sealed at the waist. The material used for the elbow, knee and other joints is a fabric that J mission jointly sponsored by Japan and NASA. Or allows easier movement, and costs and weighs less than the neoprene rubber joints of earlier units. Each they may be oriented around a particular field, such suit has an integral Primary Life Support System rather than the previously required set of connected tanks as the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 and -2 missions carried on the back. which focused on life science research in microgravity. Sometimes Spacelab flies as an all-pallet configura- , STS-26, September 1988 emergencyA Simplified situations. Aid A scaled-down for Extravehicular version Activity of the RescueManned (SAFER)Maneuvering has Unitbeen (MMU) developed flown by aboard Johnson Shuttle for tion, where all the instruments are exposed to space missions in 1984, the SAFER is designed for self-rescue use by a space walker in the event the Shuttle is and operated from inside the orbiter. unable or unavailable to retrieve a detached, drifting crew member. Examples of such times may include a The SPACEHAB module was commercially de- National Aeronautics and mission where the Shuttle is docked to the Russian space station or to the international space station. veloped by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace-Huntsville, Space Administration The SAFER was first flown on STS-64 in September 1994. under contract to SPACEHAB, Inc. The module of- John F. Kennedy Space Center fers up to 61 standard lockers, such as those found PMS 013-B (KSC) March 1995