It is an orbiter type space craft &
designed for flying in low earth orbit (up to 2,000 km).
Did you know?
The shuttle is used for:
* launching satellites
* an orbiting science laboratory
* repairing spacecraft such as the Hubble Space Telescope
* military missions
* working on the International Space Station.
The Shuttle External Fuel Tank holds nearly 2 million litres of fuel.
Did you know?
NASA uses modified Boeing 747 jetliners to transport the Space Shuttle.
The shuttle is 56m long x 23m wide, half the size of a football field.
It costs about $450 million to launch a space shuttle.
For the first two minutes the shuttle uses two solid rocket boosters
to help it escape the gravitational pull of the Earth.
Did you know?
The shuttle only takes about ten minutes to get to space.
It must reach 28,000 kilometers per hour to enter low earth orbit.
Did you know?
At a height of about 45 km,
the solid rocket boosters separate from the shuttle &
fall with parachutes into the ocean to be used for future missions.
Did you know?
The external fuel tank is then dropped into the ocean & is not recovered.
Did you know?
In all, there have been six orbiters that include the,
Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, & Endeavour.
Did you know?
The shuttle usually orbits Earth at a height of 304 to 528 km.
Did you know?
When finished it glides its way back to Earth for a safe landing.
As from 2011 all US Space Shuttle Missions will retire.
Recommended Viewing:
The shuttle launch from inside the cockpit
Did you notice?
The solid rocket boosters separate from the shuttle,
free falling their way back to Earth.
The radio controller says 'negative return' to the astronauts,
meaning there is no turning back now.
The radio controller also says their speed is 'Mach 25'
which is equivalent to 30,000 kilometers per hour.
The astronauts lift out of their seats
as they break free of gravitational pull.
