Presented by

Gokul Lakshmanan

Introduction

• Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth

orbital spacecraft

• Operated by NASA.

• The Space Shuttle was the most complex space

vehicle design of its time.

• Launched from the Kennedy Space Center

(KSC) in Florida.

• Its official program name was Space

Transportation System (STS).

History

• Total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.

• Launched numerous satellites, interplanetary

probes, and the Hubble Space Telescope, also

participated in construction and servicing of the

International Space Station.

• Total flight duration: 1322 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes

and 23 seconds.

• Total 6 orbiters: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger,

Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.

• Challenger and Columbia were destroyed in

mission accidents in 1986 and 2003.

Space Shuttle Orbiters

Specifications

SIZE• Height 56.1 m

• Diameter 8.7 m

• Mass 2030 tones

CAPACITY• Crew 7 (max)

• Payload to LEO 24 400 kg

• Payload to GTO 3810 kg

• Payload to Polar orbit 12 700 kg

• Payload to Landing 14 400 kg

Space Shuttle Launch Configuration

• ORBITER• The orbiter resembles a conventional aircraft.

• Carries Astronauts and payloads

• Space Shuttle Main Engines are mounted on the

orbiter.

• Made from Aluminum alloy.

• Length: 37.237 m

• Height: 17.25 m

• Empty weight: 78 000 kg

• Maximum payload capacity : 25 000 kg

• Operational altitude: 190 to 960 km

• Average Speed: 7.743 km/s

Space shuttle orbiter

• ENGINES

• Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME):

• Provides thrust for Liftoff

• Engines: 3

• Thrust : 5.255 MN

• Burn time: 480 sec

• Made from Titanium alloy.

• Fuel: LH & LOX

• Orbital Maneuvering Engine:

• Provides thrust for orbital insertion

• Engines: 2

• Thrust: 53.4 kN (combined thrust)

• Typical burn time: 150–250 sec

• Deorbit burn time: 1250 sec

• Fuel: N2O4

Space Shuttle Main Engine

• EXTERNAL TANK

• One External Tank

• The main function of the external tank was to supply

the LOX and LH fuel to the main engines

• The external tank was the only part of the Shuttle

system that was not reused

• The External Tank contains two internal tanks—one

for the storage of LOX and the other for the storage

of LH

• Length: 46.9 m

• Diameter: 8.4 m

• Propellant volume: 2025 m3

.A Space Shuttle External Tank (ET)on its way to the Vehicle Assembly Building

• SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS (SRB)

• 2 Solid Rocket Boosters

• Length: 45.46 m

• Diameter: 3.71 m

• Empty weight (each): 68 000 kg

• Thrust (by each): 12.5 MN

• Burn time: 124 s

• Provide 83% of the total thrust at liftoff.

• Fuel: Solid Fuel(Ammonium perchlorate propellant)

Solid Rocket Boosters

Mission profile• A typical shuttle mission lasts seven to eight days,

but can extend to as much as 14 days depending

upon the objectives of the mission.

• A typical shuttle mission is as follows:

• 1. Getting into orbit

o 1.1 Launch

o 1.2 Ascent.

o 1.3 Orbital maneuvering burn.

• 2. Orbital life in space.

• 3. Re-entry.

• 4. Landing.

• GETTING INTO ORBIT (Launch Sequence)

• Launched from Kennedy Space Center

• T minus 31sec: Onboard computers take over the

launch sequence

• T minus16 sec: Sound suppression water system

activates

• T minus 6.6 sec: The shuttle's main engines ignites

• T minus 3 sec: Shuttle main engines are in liftoff

position.

• T minus 0 sec: SRBs are ignited and the shuttle lifts

offs.

• T plus 20 sec: The shuttle begin a combined roll,

pitch and yaw maneuver to oriented the vehicle

to correct orbit

• T plus 60 sec: Shuttle engines are at maximum

throttle.

• T plus 2 min: SRBs separate from the orbiter at an

altitude of 45 km. Parachutes deploy from the SRBs.

SRBs will land in the ocean

• T plus 8.5 min: Main engines shut down.

• T plus 9 min: ET separates from the orbiter. The ET

will burn up upon reentry.

• T plus 10.5 min: OMS engines fire to place orbiter in

orbit.

• ORBITAL LIFE IN SPACE

• Shuttle usually flew at an altitude of 320 kilometers

• During 1980s and 1990s, many flights targeted on

missions to the NASA/ESA Spacelab

• During1990s and 2000s the focus shifted more in

building the space station and satellite launches.

• From 2001 to 2011 missions were intended to launch

astronaut to ISS and to service them.

RE-ENTRY AND LANDING

• Usually Performed under computer control.

• However, the re-entry could be flown entirely

manually if an emergency arose.

• Begin re-entry by firing its OMS engines.

• Orbiter flies in the opposite direction to orbital

motion for approximately three minutes

• This will lower shuttles orbit down into the upper

atmosphere.

• Vehicle enters upper atmosphere at around Mach

25 at a 40-degree nose-up attitude, producing high

drag

• Atmospheric friction produce a temperature of

about 1650 °C during re-entry

• This high temperature will heat up the orbiter

• The Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System

protect the shuttle from this high temperature

• The heat shield is made mainly from Silica

• By the end of the flight the orbiter reaches lower

atmosphere

• The shuttle now glide through the atmosphere like a

glider

• The vehicle level its wings, lower its nose and began

its approach to the landing site

• Approach and landing phase begin when the

orbiter was at about 3000 m altitude and 12 km

from the runway

• The pilots apply aerodynamic braking to help slow

down the vehicle.

• Orbiter's speed is reduced from 682 to 346 km/h

• The landing gears were deployed while the Orbiter

is flying at 430 km/h

•

• To assist the speed brake a 12 m drag chute is

deployed.

• The chute was jettisoned once the orbiter slowed to

110 km/h

• Finally the orbiter comes to a Stop.

Mission Summary

Conclusion

• Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth

orbital spacecraft

• Commissioned and operated by NASA from 1981 to

2011

• It was the most complex machine built at its time

• There were a total of 6 Orbital Vehicles build by

NASA

• A total of 14 astronauts were lost in space due to

space shuttle disaster including Indian astronaut

Kalpana Chawla

Reference[1]Space Shuttle - A future Space Transportation System

Robert.F.Thompson

[2] Kyle, Ed. "STS Data Sheet". spacelaunchreport.com.

Retrieved July 2014.

[3] Space Shuttle Propulsion Systems, p. 153. NASA, June 26,

1990.

[4] Jenkins, Dennis R. (2006). Space Shuttle: The History of the

National Space Transportation System. Voyageur Press. ISBN 0-

9633974-5-1.

[5] "INTRODUCTION TO FUTURE LAUNCH VEHICLE

PLANS [1963–2001] Updated 6/15/2001, by Marcus Lindroos".

Pmview.com. June 15, 2001. Retrieved 2012-04-17.