| Multi-staged rockets like Saturn V could be used only once then discarded.
As each one cost millions of dollars to build then discarded. As each one
cost millions of dollars to build, this was huge waste of money. So in
1972 the USA decided to build a space craft which could be used again and
again. This idea led to the development of the Space Shuttle, which began
it’s first mission on 12th April 1981. The Shuttle takes of vertically,
using three engines of its own, two large booster rockets and a huge, 33-tonne
fuel tank. The boosters fall away at a height of 47 km and are recovered
and re-used. The fuel tank is released at 110 km and burns up.
The main part of the Shuttle is the orbiter. It is 37.2m long and has a wing span 23.8m. The front compartment can carry up to eight people. The upper part is the flight deck, and below are the gallery, or kitchen, the toilet and the crew’s sleeping quarters. Most of the orbiter’s length is taken up by the payload bay, where the cargo is carried. At the rear are three engines used during the launch. While in space, the craft manoeuvres using small rockets in the nose and tail. There are five computers on board, four of which are used to fly the craft at any time. They check each other’s calculations constantly to prevent any errors. |
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QUESTIONS TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: 1 The Space Shuttle was designed in 1974.
True or False?
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