The Space Shuttle was a crewed, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft operated by NASA from 1981 to 2011.
15
votes
2answers
807 views
How was “Space Ram” (instant ramen noodles) prepared and eaten on the Space Shuttle?
The BBC Witness Podcast The Invention of Instant Noodles mentions that "Space Ram" (ramen noodles for space) was developed for eating on the Space Shuttle. After about ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
explosive force equivalent
i've seen 1 link that would direct me to a site that gave an equivalent of what would happen if a SATURN 5 let go on the pad, but not the Shuttle, was wondering what the force equivalent would be if ...
6
votes
1answer
961 views
At what point was nose wheel steering “added” to the Space Shuttle design?
A comment below this answer to my question "Runway landing with a front skid instead of wheel - how does steering happen? (Dreamchaser)" says:
In fact, the Space Shuttle didn't originally have ...
8
votes
2answers
161 views
What holds the Space Shuttle orbiter itself stable on the launch pad?
From a structural point of view, what is holding up the orbiter on the launch pad prior to a launch? Are the tail service masts more than just a collection of conduits and plumbing?
Or, are the solid ...
21
votes
2answers
4k views
Music played in space
Besides the Curiosity rovers's rendition of Happy Birthday and Chris Hadfields guitar playing aboard the ISS, is there a list of music played in space live (robots playing music counts too)?
Note: ...
4
votes
1answer
219 views
What are these Space Shuttle cockpit elements and what are they for?
In a book I'm reading, there is a figure showing the inside of a cockpit of a Space Shuttle.The labels point out various pets including an aluminum plate, an avionics bay, and an open grid panel, as ...
15
votes
2answers
3k views
What are “Ohms burns” in the context of Scott Kelly, KSP, and the Space Shuttle?
The Ars Technica video Astronaut Scott Kelly teaches orbital mechanics with Kerbal Space Program (also in YouTube) is a little bit humorous.
When Scott Kelley is talking about orbit circularization ...
4
votes
1answer
93 views
Fluid loading protocol, what's it and what's it for
In the book Endurance: A year in space, a lifetime discovery, there is a paragraph as follows:
Then I hear Terry’s voice, breaking in midsentence, as if he were
here with me: “. . . pills for the ...
0
votes
0answers
107 views
Could a shuttle be built for Mars?
Mars does have an atmosphere, but is there enough atmosphere to glide, shed speed and land if there was a runway? What would this require from the shuttle, in terms of aerodynamics?
4
votes
4answers
367 views
Could Dick Scobee have flown a RTLS on Challenger 51L
In a previous question, I explored whether or not, with a call up from an observant Flight Controller, the SRB’s could be separated from the STS-51L stack before the destruction of the ET tank at 73 ...
5
votes
1answer
292 views
Could Space Shuttle's wings be diminished?
From Wikipedia
The crucial factor in the size and shape of the Shuttle orbiter was the requirement that it be able to accommodate the largest planned commercial and military satellites, and have ...
2
votes
0answers
66 views
How would the space shuttle fare without payload doors? [duplicate]
If the space shuttle had the doors locked open, blown off, or otherwise unable to close, would it be able to re-enter and land somewhat intact? Was there any procedures in place on the off chance this ...
7
votes
1answer
223 views
STS: How much thrust did the nominal post-MECO LOX dump produce?
Following up to some questions asked in comments to the answer to this question: With pressure-fed engines, is any measurable thrust generated by venting the pressurant out the engine bell after ...
0
votes
1answer
106 views
What is the purpose of this cable connecting Astronaut's boot restraint to a robotic arm?
The caption for the image ISS016-E-008937 says
ISS016-E-008937 (3 Nov. 2007) --- While anchored to a foot restraint on the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), astronaut Scott Parazynski, ...
8
votes
0answers
69 views
Documented economics of STS Solid Rocket Booster reuse?
I often see the claim that the Shuttle SRBs cost as much to recover & refurb as it would to build a new one. I've probably even parroted this claim myself.
But, are there any actual studies or ...
4
votes
1answer
157 views
Ground personnel proximity to space shuttle at launch?
In watching some YouTube videos of US Space Shuttle launches, I was wondering how close personnel were to the actual launch pad during a launch that weren't actually on the Shuttle itself? Obviously ...
14
votes
2answers
273 views
How would the space shuttle have been retrieved following a TAL out of Vandenberg?
Had the space shuttle ever launched out of Vandenberg AFB, its primary transoceanic abort landing (TAL) site would have been Mataveri International Airport (SCIP) on Rapa Nui (Easter Island; Isla de ...
3
votes
0answers
49 views
SSME propellant duct routing
The low pressure propellant ducts in SSME are routed around the engine in a somewhat complicated way. Both fuel and oxidizer lines leave the low-pressure turbopump, go around, down and then turn back ...
23
votes
2answers
2k views
What's on the bottom of the Shuttle's external fuel tank?
In the Wikipedia article about Spaceplane there's a (rare and cool) shot of the Space Shuttle from one of the SBRs immediately after it was released. The web page for the image says:
Space Shuttle ...
16
votes
2answers
4k views
Space shuttle exhaust after landing
In this video at 7:12 you can see a thermal shot of a landed space shuttle. There is a periodic white cloud coming out of the top. What is this cloud?
3
votes
0answers
58 views
Is it possible for a space rocket to escape a planet's gravity if the gravity was 10 times that of earth? [duplicate]
I know that the scenario isn't realistic but lets assume that we have a planet which is identical to ours except that it's gravity is 10 times bigger. Would it be possible to launch a space rocket ...
6
votes
1answer
516 views
Did the medium range KTM tracking cameras for the Shuttle really have a “150 inch lens”?
The Curious Droid YouTube video How did NASA get those great film shots of Apollo and the Shuttle? found here and linked-to in this comment contains the following passage starting at ...
0
votes
1answer
135 views
How does the Space Shuttle's SSME engine's thrust vary after ignition?
After writing the question Do Blue Origin's BE-3 engines need to run for 7 seconds to “warm up”?, I took a look at the YouTube video SSME ignition sequence (found in What are the small gas jets at the ...
9
votes
1answer
102 views
Control of first stage of shuttle
Why was the launch guidance software of the space shuttle launch between liftoff to SRB separation open loop?
1
vote
0answers
98 views
Why did Columbia never visit the ISS? [duplicate]
According to Wikipedia, there were sixteen Space Shuttle missions to the ISS before the loss of Columbia; of these, six each were by Endeavour and Atlantis, four by Discovery, and none at all by ...
18
votes
2answers
4k views
Do the solid rocket boosters of the Shuttle and SLS have a self-destruct system and was it activated during the Challenger disaster?
Videos of the Challenger shuttle explosion show both solid boosters speeding on after the main tank detonated. Were they eventually self-destructed by the ground control, or why not, and why not ...
15
votes
1answer
2k views
How were the Space Shuttle SRBs ignited? (with what?)
I'm unable to find how exactly the Space Shuttle's SRBs were ignited, or what exactly was used to ignite the rocket.
I'm trying to figure out the best way to instantly ignite a solid rocket reliably,...
2
votes
1answer
360 views
Why did Space Shuttle astronauts wear gloves upon reentry?
I read an article about STS 107, in which the crew videorecorded their search for the gloves to put on.
0
votes
1answer
235 views
Why didn't the space shuttle use non-foam-shedding external tanks?
Throughout its lifetime, the Space Shuttle's external tank had severe problems with portions of its foam insulation coming apart and falling off, which NASA was never able to fix. The flying ...
6
votes
1answer
155 views
How spacecrafts are built e.g. Dragon, Orion, etc?
What materials are using to build nowadays spacecraft? What kind of joints of main structure is used - is it a welding, riveting or something else?
Where can I find such informations? Any books, ...
3
votes
2answers
193 views
Was the Space Shuttle TPS technology ever state secret?
I was a bit surprised to learn that the Buran used heat tiles looking very similar to that of the Space Shuttle. Considering its potential for military application, and the cold war period in which ...
5
votes
3answers
875 views
How was the Centaur stage fueled in the Space Shuttle?
The Space Shuttle had the ability to launch Centaur booster stages stored inside of the Shuttle during launch. How was this stage fueled, being fueled with cryogenic fuels?
4
votes
1answer
176 views
How was Enterprise held/released from the carrier 747 for the Shuttle approach and landing tests?
Related to my other question: What are the benefits of using pyrotechnics on spacecraft?
When the Space Shuttle was first flight tested (Enterprise approach and landing tests) it was released from a ...
3
votes
2answers
163 views
When astronauts or cosmonauts get seated in the spacecraft, are they actually sitting up or lying down?
This might be more of a physics question. If it is, I'll post it in the physics site.
If the spacecraft is vertical, wouldn't the astronauts be seated in a lying position so that the G forces do not ...
3
votes
1answer
272 views
Why do astronauts spend a night at a hotel one day before the launch? How did they board the Shuttle
I heard somewhere that it was some sort of a tradition for astronauts to spend one night at some kind of hotel.
As far as I know, astronauts and cosmonauts ride in a bus down to the launch site, where ...
7
votes
1answer
230 views
Why aren't there many audio soundscapes recorded within the spacecraft?
First of all, let me explain that I am totally blind, and audio is my primary source of information. Through soundscapes, I can hear how big or small a room is, and make pictorial and spatial images ...
-4
votes
1answer
115 views
Before their disastrous demise, how many missions did Challenger and Columbia fly?
I always grew up thinking that both of those shuttles only flew in one mission and never made it back home. Now, I found evidence that that's not the case.
7
votes
1answer
206 views
Why were individual shuttle tiles changed from white to black or black to white?
The Paper Space Scale Models website has a PDF which details changes to the STS Orbiter Markings on a per-mission basis.
Most of the changes are in the tiles. It can be seen that often a single black ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
How were the pilots of the space shuttle able to operate the rudder after time in space?
I've just watched this video showing three astronauts who've returned from space. At around the 5:46 mark in the video we can see astronaut Chris Hadfield being carried out of the Soyuz capsule. I've ...
4
votes
1answer
374 views
How much did the fuel for the space shuttle missions cost?
I'm looking for a rough estimate on how much it costs. I understand that it is a propellant mix, and that NASA contracts a company to produce it, but I am yet to come across a figure per kg of the ...
6
votes
0answers
59 views
How do you minimise sum of atmosphere and gravity loss?
I am attempting to calculate the optimum trajectory of a space shuttle going into orbit, taking into account gravitational and atmospheric losses. How would it be possible to minimise the sum of these ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
Why does the Falcon Heavy Rocket have a higher payload than the Space Shuttle?
The Falcon 9 heavy rocket has a thrust of about 5,340,000 pounds (23700 kN) with a LEO payload of 140,660 pounds (65.7 t). The Space Shuttle, on the other hand, had a thrust of 6,780,000 pounds (30000 ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Is the Falcon Heavy as loud as the Space Shuttle or Saturn V?
Is the Falcon Heavy Rocket as loud as the older Saturn V and Space Shuttles?
I have read that Saturn V and the Space Shuttle were within a few decibels of each other. The newer Shuttle was slightly ...
4
votes
1answer
184 views
Was computer aided design used on the Space Shuttle Program?
With the Space Shuttle system being as complex as it was I was wondering the following; did the initial engineering teams in the 70's use any form of CAD/CAE or did they simply utilize the same ...
3
votes
2answers
137 views
How were polar or retrograde satellites launched in the early 80s?
Many satellites (such as the recent Iridium launch) need to be in either slight retrograde or polar orbit. Since Kennedy Space Center is located on the east coast of Florida, rockets that need to go ...
1
vote
0answers
75 views
Efficiency of 3 in line boosters of a shuttle? [closed]
What is the most efficient scenario for a total of 700 Newtons of thrust on three lined up boosters? If the air pressure for the payload booster isn't the same, can they make an efficient air ...
7
votes
3answers
736 views
Building space stations with the original, smaller shuttle
In an answer to a recent question we see a plan for many space stations as part of a space infrastructure, with a surface-to-low-Earth-orbit reusable shuttle as another part. This shuttle eventually ...
17
votes
3answers
2k views
Cost-effective Space Shuttle: was it feasible?
As far as I understand, NASA's Space Shuttle was initially conceived as a cheap way of launching people and cargo into orbit, with one-week vehicle turnaround time and dozens of missions per year. ...
-1
votes
1answer
2k views
How far is zero-gravity from ground? [closed]
If I make a rocket and want to reach a point in space above sea level where I don't need to burn fuel to rise, how far is that point? space or zero gravity area?
I am just trying to figure out ...
21
votes
2answers
4k views
Would it have been any more difficult to build the space station without the space shuttle?
I know that the Space Shuttle delivered a lot of modules and supplies to the International Space Station, but I also know that other rockets were just as capable of performing the task at that time ...
