What does the vertical stabilizer do on a Space Shuttle?
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What does the vertical stabilizer do on a Space Shuttle?
The orbiter’s vertical stabilizer (fin) has the rudder which controls its yaw (nose left, nose right). The split-rudder on the orbiter works as a rudder and also as a speed brake (found on most airplanes as a spoiler located on the wing). It does this by splitting in half vertically and opening like a book.
How did the Space Shuttle deorbit?
DEORBIT BURN During reentry and landing, the orbiter is not powered by engines. Instead, it flies like a high-tech glider, relying first on its steering jets and then its aerosurfaces to control the airflow around it.
What were OMS engines used for?
As the primary engine, the Orbital Maneuvering System Engine (OMS-E) is a liquid propellant rocket engine that will provide the thrust needed to perform the major manoeuvres during the Orion mission. It is the same engine used in the Space Shuttle programme and is reusable.
What did the shuttle main engine burn for fuel?
liquefied hydrogen
The Space Shuttle Main Engine operates at greater temperature extremes than any mechanical system in common use today. At -423 degrees Fahrenheit, the engine’s fuel, liquefied hydrogen, is the second coldest liquid on Earth.
Why are vertical stabilizers so big?
The greater its position away from the center of gravity, the more effective the vertical tail can be. Thus, shorter aircraft typically feature larger vertical tails; for example, the vertical tail of the short Airbus A318 is larger than that of its longer counterparts in the A320 family.
What angle are the Space Shuttle engines at?
These three liquid-fueled engines could be swiveled 10.5 degrees vertically and 8.5 degrees horizontally during the rocket-powered ascent of the orbiter in order to change the direction of their thrust. Hence, they steered the entire Space Shuttle, as well as providing rocket thrust towards orbit.
How do space shuttles slow down?
As with any airplane, the shuttle’s wings generate lift. As the atmosphere gets denser, the wings are going to generate more lift, and this upward lift will cause the descent rate to slow.
How does the International Space Station move so fast?
4.76 miles/sInternational Space Station / Speed on orbit
What is a deorbit burn?
deorbit burn (plural deorbit burns) (astronautics) A firing of the engines of a spacecraft to enable it to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
How many thrusters does the shuttle have?
Space Shuttle
| Size | |
|---|---|
| Powered by | 3 RS-25 engines located on Orbiter |
| Maximum thrust | 5,250 kN (1,180,000 lbf) total, sea level liftoff |
| Specific impulse | 455 s (4.46 km/s) |
| Burn time | 480 seconds |
How much horsepower did the space shuttle have?
about 37 million horsepower
How much horsepower do the shuttle’s main engines produce at the time of lift off? The three space shuttle main engines generate the maximum equivalent of about 37 million horsepower. The fuel pump alone delivers as much as 71,000 horsepower, the oxygen pump delivers about 23,000.
Why do fighter jets have 2 vertical stabilizers?
the reason for two vertical tails is so the plane can maneuver during high angle of attack situations. With a single vertical tail, you cannot turn ( maneuver ) during a high angle of attack situation, making the plane a strafing target.
How thick is space shuttle glass?
The outer pane, also called the thermal pane, is a . 6 inch thick plate of fused silica glass, approx- imately 35″ x 45″. There are six thermal panes in the windshield, two in the overhead windows (observation windows) and one in the side hatch.
Why does reentry have to be so fast?
Your spacecraft still has to travel at 16,500 mph relative to our atmosphere to stay in orbit. If you slow down by a tiny amount below that speed, even by just a few hundred miles per hour, as you skim the atmosphere, you will fall too far towards Earth before you complete your orbit.
