![]() ![]() The first space flight was done by Columbia in 1981, Challenger was lost during launch in 1986 and Endeavour was built to replace it at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion. The Enterprise was used for flight tests within Earth's atmosphere and never orbited. There have been a total of six orbiters built: Enterprise (OV-101), Columbia (OV-102), Challenger (OV-099), Discovery (OV-103), Atlantis (OV-104) and Endeavour (OV-105). NASA's Space Transport System (STS) consists of the orbiter vehicle (OV)-commonly referred to as the space shuttle-the external fuel tank (ET) and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB). The astronauts have arrived at their office. ![]() ![]() thrust OMS engine is fueled by gaseous nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine, which combust instantaneously when they come in contact. They push the shuttle higher into proper orbital altitude between 115 miles and 400 miles depending on the mission. Traveling at 17,000 mph (about Mach 26) and 65 miles above sea level, the two smaller rear rocket engines mounted on the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pods fire. The orange external fuel tank is jettisoned and burns up over the Pacific ocean. Also at this point, the two boosters are jettisoned and parachuted back down to the Atlantic ocean for recovery, about 140 miles off the Florida coast.Īt T plus 8:30 minutes: After accelerating at nearly 3g (gaining 66 mph every second), the shuttle's Main Engine Cut Off (MECO) occurs. Watching the shuttle launch from six miles away doesn't seem too distant after all.Īt T plus 2:06 minutes: The shuttle climbs past 28 miles above sea level, traveling at nearly 3000 mph. NASA says at 400 feet away, the heat will kill you. Human death occurs at around 200 dB due to intense vibration of internal organs. The sound pressure energy level at the launch pad is about 220 decibels (dB), and at a mile away, 135, where your hearing would still be damaged. Moments later you hear the rocket engines and feel the crackling noise pulsating past you. Mission control switches from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Johnson Space Center at Houston.įor the onlookers standing at the NASA Causeway six miles away (the closest public viewing area), you first see the shuttle rise and its white exhaust plume billow out of the flame trench in silence. Once the boosters fire, they can't be shut off.Īt T plus 8 seconds: The shuttle clears the launch pad and accelerates past 100 mph. At 4.4 million pounds, the entire space shuttle stack lifts off with a power-to-weight ratio of about 18.4 horsepower per pound. Standing about the same height as the Statue of Liberty but weighing three times as much, the two white Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) ignite in anger and push out a combined 6.6 million pounds of thrust (equivalent to 44 million horsepower). per second, a rate that could empty an average family sized swimming pool in just 25 sec. The shuttle's turbopumps spin at 37,000 rpm, feeding the thirsty engines with liquid hydrogen (at -423 degrees F) and liquid oxygen (-297 degrees F) stored inside the giant orange external fuel tank. The temperature inside the nozzle is more than 6000 degrees Fahrenheit. For astronauts, having spent thousands of hours in training, and working with hundreds of people behind the scenes in NASA's Space Shuttle Program, it comes down to the most intense and exhilarating eight-and-a-half-minute commute ever.Īt T minus zero: The space shuttle's three main engines have already fired 6.6 seconds ago, providing 1.2 million pounds of thrust (equivalent to 37 million horsepower). Now imagine this: Getting up 8 to 10 hours before your drive to the office, then basically strapping onto an enormous missile that accelerates long enough to put you 115 miles up in the sky. All in all, not much brainpower is needed. On the way to the office, you zone out a bit as you fight the morning rush. Then you stumble out of the house and get into your car. It takes about an hour to get ready to go to work in the morning. ![]()
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