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Comprehend why the shuttle was developed
Comprehend the space shuttle’s main features
Comprehend the shuttle’s legacy
The Space Shuttle Program
Lesson OverviewWhy the space shuttle was developedThe space shuttle’s main featuresThe shuttle’s legacy
Why the Space Shuttle Was DevelopedThe space shuttle began as part of a
larger vision at NASA for what to do after the country had reached the Moon
The idea of a space shuttle grew of this vision
To save money, NASA planned to develop a fully reusable spacecraft
The spacecraft had to be capable of delivering satellites to space and carry out repair missions
The Original Six Orbiters “Orbiter” is NASA’s term for “the
space shuttle” First orbiter was the Enterprise Columbia was the first orbiter
delivered to Kennedy Space Center in March 1979
Challenger started out as a test vehicle. But it eventually made it into space
The third space worthy orbiter was Discovery—it arrived November 1983
Endeavour was authorized by Congress to replace Challenger
The Shuttle’s First Mission Columbia was the first of the
space shuttles to go into outer space on 12 April 1981
Goals were to check out the overall system, ascend safely into orbit, and return safely to Earth
Post-flight inspection revealed that the ship had lost 16 heat-shield tiles and that an additional 148 had been damaged
The Shuttle’s Main Features: The OrbiterBrains and the heart of the shuttle It contains a pressurized crew compartment, a huge cargo bay, and
three engines mounted aft – the rear of a spacecraft or any other ship Orbiter is boosted into space partly on the strength of those engines –
but mostly on the power of the solid rocket boosters (SRBs)
The Shuttle’s Main Engines Three main engines operate for
8.5 minutes after launch The engines provide thrust –
that is, they push the shuttle forward
During acceleration, engines burn through half a million gallons of liquid propellant
External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters Main engines get their propellants
from the huge rust-colored external tank (ET) - the fuel tank burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere
Solid rocket boosters (SRBs) provide most of the power for the first two minutes of a shuttle flight
Empty boosters fall away into the Atlantic; the recovery crew tows them back to the launch site
The Shuttle Crew Positions Commander is the ship’s captain Mission pilot helps control and fly
the ship Mission specialists manage the
mission’s activities The focus of the payload specialist
is on specific payloadsForeign nationals fly aboard the
shuttle as payload specialists
The Shuttle’s Legacy For nearly 30 years, NASA’s
space shuttles have served as the foundation for the human spaceflight program in the United States
The shuttle program’s most important legacy is its reminder that human spaceflight must always be treated with respect