The Space Shuttle combines the technical characteristics of rockets, satellites and airplanes, and can be launched vertically into space orbit like a rocket, fly in space orbit like a satellite, and re-enter the atmosphere like an airplane to glide to a landing, which is a new type of multi-functional space vehicle. Its structure is mainly composed of three main parts. ① Orbital vehicle, including the three engine rockets, the driver's cabin, the crew cabin and the cargo compartment. ② used to provide propulsion for the external storage tank. ③ rocket boosters, *** there are two, using solid fuel. The main use of the space shuttle is space transportation, satellite services, it can be close to other spacecraft, for its delivery of goods and repairs and other service items. It can also perform interstellar observation, military and geographic observation and photography. Because of its own large size (more than 20 meters high and 50 meters long), it can also be used as a large space building. The Space Shuttle can be launched vertically like a rocket when it takes off, and in the course of its operation, in order to lighten the load, it can throw off the solid-fueled rocket boosters and propulsion external storage tanks after it has finished its work. The shuttle's main machinery can continue to be used after refurbishment upon return to earth.
The United States began the development and implementation of the space shuttle program in 1972. The first space shuttle "Enterprise" began in 1977 in a variety of complex ground and atmospheric tests. 1981 for the first time with the "Columbia" space shuttle test flight in space, three days after the flight successfully returned to earth. Since then, the manned shuttle began to enter space.
The space shuttle puts people into space, on which scientific experiments can be carried out, such as space breeding, drug synthesis, crystal purification, metal smelting, cosmic observation, etc., because the objects on the shuttle are in a weightless state, which can not be obtained on Earth. Therefore, it can do many experiments that can not be done on earth because of the influence of gravity. The advantage of the space shuttle is that it can be reused, saving money. And when returning to earth, it does not need fuel, like an eagle, it is by gliding to land on the ground. The space shuttle looks like a normal airplane. But it must have a heat insulation layer on its surface, otherwise it will be burned by the heat generated by the violent friction with the air when it flies back to the earth! A country's space technology symbolizes its comprehensive national power. Look at the United States and Russia, they all have space shuttles, but we do not. But our Shenzhou series of spacecraft is also developing very quickly, have confidence!
Space Shuttle
April 1969, NASA put forward a plan to build a reusable space vehicle. January 1972, the United States formally put the development of the Space Shuttle Space Transportation System included in the plan to determine the design of the Space Shuttle, that is, by the recoverable and reusable solid rocket The design of the Space Shuttle was finalized, i.e., it consisted of a recoverable and reusable solid rocket booster, two external fuel tanks that were not recoverable, and an orbiter that could be used many times. After five years, in February 1977, the development of a space shuttle orbiter Venture, carried by the Boeing 747 aircraft for on-board testing. June 18, 1977, the first manned test flights on the back of an aircraft in the sky, to participate in the test flights are astronauts Haise (C? F? Haise) and Fullerton (G? Fullerton), two people. August 12, manned flights on the plane The test was successfully completed. After another four years, the first manned space shuttle finally appeared on the space stage, which is another milestone in the history of space technology development.
On April 12, 1981, millions of people gathered at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to see the launch of the first space shuttle, Columbia. Astronaut John W? John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen opened a new page in space history. The shuttle has an overall length of about 56 meters, a wingspan of about 24 meters, a takeoff weight of about 2,040 tons, a total takeoff thrust of 2,800 tons and a maximum payload of 29.5 tons. Its core, the orbiter, is 37.2 meters long, roughly the size of a DC-9 airliner. It can carry up to eight astronauts per flight for 7 to 30 days, and the orbiter can be reused up to 100 times. The space shuttle set of rockets, satellites and airplanes in one of the technical characteristics, like rockets can be launched vertically into space orbit, but also like satellites in space orbit flight, but also like an airplane re-entry into the atmosphere glide landing, is a new type of multi-functional space vehicle.
From 1981 to the end of 1993, the U.S. a **** five space shuttles made 59 flights, including 15 Columbia, Challenger 10, Discovery 17, Atlantis 12, Endeavour 5 times. Each carried between two and eight astronauts, and the flights lasted from two to 14 days. In 12 years, there have been 301 Shuttle flights, including 18 female astronauts. In the 59 flights of the Space Shuttle, more than 50 satellites were cast in space, 2 space stations were carried to the space orbit, 3 cosmic detectors, 1 space telescope and 1 γ-ray detector were launched, satellite space recovery and space repair were carried out, a series of scientific experiments were carried out, and fruitful results of exploration experiments were achieved.
The U.S. Space Shuttle created many new space records. Shuttle first flight commander John? Young flew into space six times, is the world's largest number of astronauts in space. 1983 June 18 female astronaut Sally K. Ryder (Sally K. Ryder). Sally K?Ride, who took to the skies on Challenger on June 18, 1983, tops the list of U.S. women in space.On Aug. 30, 1983, Challenger sent Guion S?Bluford, the first black U.S. astronaut, on a space flight.B?McCandless, who took to the skies on Challenger on Feb. 3, 1984, became the B?McCandless became the world's first astronaut to walk in space without wearing a seatbelt. on April 6, 1984, Challenger took to the skies, and astronauts were successful in capturing and repairing satellites in orbit for the first time. on October 5, 1984, Kathryn D?Sullivan, who participated in Challenger's flight, became the first American woman to walk in space. on January 24, 1985, Discovery lifted off on its first secret military mission. January 24, 1985 Discovery liftoff, the first secret military mission. April 29, 1985, the first Chinese astronaut Ganjun Wang (Tayler Wang) on the Challenger to participate in scientific experiments in the sky. November 26, 1985, Atlantis astronauts in the sky for the first time to carry the space station test. May 7, 1992 Endeavour's first flight, astronauts in space for the first time with a Manual operation salvage recovery satellite success. July 31 Atlantis took to the skies, the first tethered Guardian power generation test. September 12 Endeavour will be the first black female astronauts, the first Japanese journalists and the first couple of astronauts loaded into the space flight.
Space Shuttle Tempest Successful First Flight
On November 15, 1988, at 6:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Soviet Union's Space Shuttle Tempest was launched for the first time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and entered a circular orbit 250 kilometers above the ground after 47 minutes. It circled the Earth twice and traveled in space for three hours before returning safely at 9:25 a.m. as scheduled, landing accurately on a concrete runway 12 kilometers away from the launch site and completing an unmanned test flight.
The size of the Space Shuttle Blizzard is comparable to that of an ordinary large passenger airplane, and its shape is extremely similar to that of the U.S. Space Shuttle, with triangular wings. The aircraft is 36 meters long, 16 meters high, 24 meters wingspan, fuselage diameter of 5.6 meters, takeoff weight of 105 tons, return to the landing weight of 82 tons. It has a large cargo bay 18.3 meters long and 4.7 meters in diameter, capable of delivering 30 tons of cargo to near-Earth orbit and 20 tons back to the ground. The head has a crew capsule with a volume of 70 cubic meters, which can take 10 people. Scientists believe that the ground control center to rely entirely on the remote control of the computer system on board, in the unmanned conditions of automatic return and accurately landed on the narrow runway, the difficulty of Lin than the 1981 U.S. Space Shuttle manned test flights much larger. First, the Storm's main engine was not mounted on the tail of the Shuttle, but on an Energy rocket, which greatly reduced the weight of the Shuttle into orbit while freeing up space for a small maneuvering flight engine and deceleration braking parachute. Secondly, when the Storm lands, the small engine in the tail can be used to do powered maneuvering flight, safe and accurate landing on the narrow runway, in case of landing failure, the shuttle can also be raised for the second landing, thus improving reliability. The U.S. Space Shuttle can only make one successful landing by unpowered gliding. Third, the Storm can be like an ordinary aircraft with the help of ailerons, rudders and air brakes to control the glide in the atmosphere, but also prepared to slow down the braking parachute, in the process of landing skidding when the speed slowed down to 50 km / h automatically popped up, so that the space shuttle in a shorter distance to stop. The success of the maiden flight of the Tempest marked a new stage in Soviet space activities and paved the way for the establishment of a more complete round-trip transportation system between heaven and earth. A manned flight was originally planned for a year later, but because the safety and reliability of the onboard systems had not yet been adequately assured, and for subsequent political and economic reasons, the enshrinement of the flight was delayed.
Attachment: "Challenger" space shuttle explosion
January 28, 1986, the United States "Challenger" space shuttle in the 10th launch after liftoff, due to a booster rocket accident exploded in the air, the cabin seven astronauts (including a woman). Astronauts (including a female teacher) were all killed. Caused a direct economic loss of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, the shuttle was grounded for nearly three years, becoming the most serious human spaceflight accident in the history of human spaceflight, so that the world has a clear understanding of the enormity of the conquest of space.
The astronauts killed were Scobee, Smith, McNair, Jervis, Onizuka (Hawaii-born, Japanese), Judyne? Resnick (female), and McAuliffe (female teacher).
At 11:39:12 a.m. EST that day, 10 miles above the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States, in the "Boom" after a loud bang, the "Challenger" space shuttle exploded in the air. All U.S. shuttle flights were suspended for three years, and the "Star Wars" program suffered a serious setback.
U.S. space shuttle Columbia crash 7 astronauts died
U.S. local time on February 1, carrying seven astronauts of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia at the end of the 16-day space mission, return to Earth, but in the landing before the accident, the shuttle disintegrated and crashed.
The plane suddenly disappeared from radar at 9:09 a.m. EST (22:00 GMT), 16 minutes before Columbia landed.
Television images showed the disintegrating Columbia making several white trails over Texas.
NASA did not immediately announce that the entire crew, including an Israeli astronaut, had been killed, but flags are now at half-mast at Kennedy Airport. The search for Columbia's wreckage continues in the Texas area, and the Aeronautics and Space Administration has warned the public not to touch any of the debris because of the highly toxic chemical paint that coats the shuttle's engines.
The aeronautical possibility of Columbia making an emergency landing was nonexistent, with space agency spokesman Keller Herrin telling CNN, "Under the circumstances, I'm afraid Columbia simply didn't have a choice."
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, President George W. Bush returned to the White House from his brief vacation at Camp David to closely monitor further developments.
Columbia is the longest-serving of the four existing U.S. space shuttles, and the mishap brought back memories of the Jan. 28, 1986, Challenger crash, which killed all seven astronauts aboard.
Angela Bell, an FBI spokeswoman, said there was no direct evidence linking the incident to terrorists.
Columbia was flying at an altitude of 203,000 feet and traveling at 12,500 miles per hour when the accident occurred.
Kathleen Watson, a spokeswoman for the Aerospace Administration, told the National Public **** Broadcasting Network, "All flight controllers are currently working to find data that will indicate exactly what went wrong." But Watson shed a tear when asked if any of the astronauts could have survived.
The seven astronauts who perished on Columbia were Rick Hertzbender, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kelpana Cholah, Lauriel Clarke and Israeli Ilan Ramon.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said, "This incident is a great tragedy for both governments, both peoples and the families of the astronauts who were killed."
The space shuttle is a reusable vehicle launched by a launch vehicle that is used to enter Earth's orbit, transport people and supplies between Earth and orbiting spacecraft, and glide and land back on Earth. The first Space Shuttle was launched on April 12, 1981 for liftoff. The Space Shuttle consists of three main parts: an orbiter with wings for carrying astronauts and supplies; an external propellant tank for carrying liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for use by the three main engines; and a pair of large solid-propellant strap-on booster rockets. The entire system has a take-off weight of 2,000 tons and is 56 meters high. At launch, the booster and orbiter main engines ignited simultaneously with a thrust of 31 million Newtons. About two minutes after takeoff, the booster rocket is jettisoned and landed by parachute, recovered and reused. The orbiter had gained 99% of its orbital altitude by the time it had consumed the propellant in its external propellant tank and was jettisoned. This propellant tank disintegrates on impact into the atmosphere. Although the Space Shuttle launches vertically like a conventional manned spacecraft, the difference is that it can glide to land on a runway like a regular jet airplane. The orbiter is designed to be reused 00 times, reducing the cost of spaceflight. The Space Shuttle can take satellites and probes into its cargo bay to space for casting, or astronauts can retrieve or repair satellites in space that have gone awry in orbit. The space mind machine can also be used as a space laboratory, carrying specialized research equipment for a variety of scientific experiments. It is far more difficult and dangerous for the Space Shuttle to complete its mission and return to Earth than it was during liftoff. When the orbiter returns to Earth to re-enter the atmosphere, it must adjust its state and angle very precisely. Due to the intense friction between the fuselage and the air, its exterior can generate temperatures as high as 1,500 degrees Celsius, and without protection, the aircraft will melt. Therefore, the exterior of the space shuttle is covered with a layer of shiny black silicate fiber ceramic tiles of different sizes and shapes, which are very well insulated to ensure that the heat is not conducted to the vehicle. The Space Shuttle is the most complex and sophisticated launch vehicle ever built by man. Its vast and sophisticated system consists of millions of parts, any one of which can go wrong and lead to the destruction of the entire shuttle. The two space shuttles that crashed, one because of a small seal leakage, exploded shortly after takeoff; one because of the ceramic tiles fell off the broken body, the fuselage disintegration in the re-entry of the atmosphere. Both accidents resulted in the heroic deaths of more than a dozen astronauts. People are grateful to these warriors, shocked by this disaster at the same time, will still be full of unremitting passion for the cause of science.
At present, only the United States has the space shuttle, but by these space shuttles carried out by the great cause of mankind's understanding of science has produced a rapid progress.
The space shuttle is the world's only reusable space vehicle. 70-80 years, the United States, the Soviet Union, France and Japan and other countries have started to develop the space shuttle, but due to technical and financial reasons, only the United States of America developed the space shuttle into use. The space shuttle has a wide range of uses and can carry out space rendezvous, docking, docking, space science experiments, launch recovery or overhaul of satellites. It has captured an International Telecommunications Satellite 6 (INTELSAT-6) in space, which failed to enter a synchronous orbit, and after repairing it, sent it into a synchronous orbit. It has also launched and refurbished the Hubble Space Telescope three times. The Space Shuttle usually has a capacity of seven passengers and a flight duration of less than two weeks and up to 28 days.
Currently, the shuttle's primary mission is to deliver astronauts and a variety of construction parts and supplies to the International Space Station. The U.S. originally envisioned saving money by using the shuttle, which can be reused multiple times. But the result is completely different, the development cost of each space shuttle is very high, the latest Endeavour development costs up to 2 billion dollars, and each launch costs more than 100 million dollars. As a result only six shuttles have been built so far, one Enterprise as a prototype and five working aircraft, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. The Shuttle is still very reliable, with 110 successful flights since January 1986, when Challenger failed to launch, until April 2002.