

On January 28, 1986, Challenger, carrying seven astronauts, exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all aboard including a private citizen, schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Between 19 a fleet of four orbiters- Columbia (the first to fly in space), Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis-was put into service. After the system became operational, however, the vehicle’s operating costs and the time needed for refurbishment between flights proved to be significantly higher than early projections. space shuttle originally had been expected to reduce the high cost of spaceflight into low Earth orbit. Space shuttle: Takeoff and landing See all videos for this articleĭesigned to be reflown as many as 100 times, the U.S. Although the orbiter lifted off vertically like an expendable rocket launcher, it made an unpowered descent and landing similar to a glider. It released the tank, which disintegrated on reentering the atmosphere. After attaining 99 percent of its orbital velocity, the orbiter had exhausted the propellants in the external tank. The boosters were jettisoned about two minutes after liftoff and were returned to Earth by parachute for reuse. During launch the boosters and the orbiter’s main engines fired together, producing about 31,000 kilonewtons (7 million pounds) of thrust. At liftoff the entire system weighed 2 million kilograms (4.4 million pounds) and stood 56 metres (184 feet) high. space shuttle consisted of three major components: a winged orbiter that carried both crew and cargo an external tank containing liquid hydrogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen (oxidizer) for the orbiter’s three main rocket engines and a pair of large, solid-propellant, strap-on booster rockets. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.
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