Comprehend why the shuttle was developed Comprehend the space shuttle’s main features Comprehend the shuttle’s legacy The Space Shuttle Program

Lesson Overview Why the space shuttle was developed The space shuttle’s main features The shuttle’s legacy

Why the Space Shuttle Was Developed The 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 Orbiter Brains 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

Shuttle Flight Profile

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 payloads Foreign nationals fly aboard the shuttle as payload specialists

Atlantis Touchdown July 21, 2011 * * * Covered in Detail in Lesson 23

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

Comprehend why the shuttle was developed Comprehend the space shuttle’s main features Comprehend the shuttle’s legacy The Space Shuttle Program