The Space Shuttle:

Economical Space Flight

After Apollo's success, NASA began researching ways to place satellites into orbit cheaper. They decided that, instead of just rockets, a reusable winged aircraft would be more efficient. Such a craft could go into space, place its payload into orbit, perform any operations necessary, and return to Earth. After a mission, it could be refueled and used again. This concept was called the reusable launch vehicle (RLV). The first in this class, the space shuttle has been the main launch vehicle for NASA since 1982.

This space shuttle has a larger payload capacity than earlier rockets, is cheaper than rockets per pound of payload, and can keep astronauts in space to do various operations. This means that the shuttle can place several satellites in orbit in one mission, do repairs and servicing, and conduct various scientific experiments.

The space shuttle is consists of three main components. The most important is the orbiter, which is the only part that actually flies in space, but there are also the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters. These Solid Rocket Boosters are the largest solid-field rockets ever developed. After every use, they are sent back to a factory and are refilled with the propellant. The External Tank provides the fuel to be used during takeoff by the orbiter's main engines.

The Orbiter

The Orbiter weighs over two thousand tons, and towers above the ground at 184 feet tall. Its payload bay is 15 x 15 x 60 feet, and can launch payload into orbit at a price of ten thousand dollars a pound ( up to 65 thousand pounds ). The crew is stationed at the front of the orbiter, inside the nose. This living space can support up to ten people in its two decks. The lower deck is used for eating and sleeping, and also houses the airlock. The upper deck is where most of the controls and workshops are housed, like the flight and robot arm controls, and the microgravity experiments.

Challenger

One of the greatest disasters in America's space program was the Challenger explosion in January of 1986. In this explosion, the entire crew was killed and its force a restructuring of the entire space program. After the disaster, it took two years for NASA to send up another flight, in which time they modified their shuttles to be safer and more reliable. The Challenger explosion itself was the result of a faulty O-ring on the boosters which allowed the rocket's flame to ignite the main liquid fuel tank.

Blast Off

Ten days before a launch, the ship's crew goes into isolation. This is to ensure they are not infected by any diseases. Then, the night before launch, a last minute inspection crew examines the ship. They are extremely cautious, and anything wrong will cause the delay of the blast-off. The next day, the last minutes of countdown are finished. The table below tells what happens during liftoff.

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