How does a space shuttle dock with a space station?

Answer 1

A space shuttle docks by landing in a pod attached to the space station which has

all the air removed. Then, oxygen is pumped into the pod so that the astronauts inside

can get out.

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Answer #2:

As I read Answer #1 above, I hear it saying essentially that: "A space shuttle docks by docking."

If you've ever watched the video of a docking maneuver on TV, you saw that in the

last few seconds, there's hardly any motion between the two spacecraft. These craft

are moving over the surface of the Earth at something like 17,000 miles per hour, but

the final contact is not a bang, a crash, a clunk, or even a bump. It's barely a touch.

In order to accomplish that kind of meeting, the two spacecraft have to be in exactly

the same Earth orbit ... same size, shape, speed, inclination to the equator, the whole

package. AND ... last but certainly not least ... they both have to be in the same place.

That's why there's typically a day or two between the shuttle launch and the docking.

It takes all that time to twist and turn and tweak the shuttle's orbit just so, so that

at the point where its orbit intersects the orbit of the space station, they're moving

at almost precisely the same speed and in almost precisely the same direction. THAT's

the biggest part of the docking maneuver . . . everything you have to do in order to

match the orbits.

It CAN'T be done by a hot-shot pilot with aircraft controls, a throttle, and sun-glasses,

because orbits don't work the way cars or even airplanes do. Every little poof with your

rocket engine in orbit causes changes that might not show up until you're halfway around

the earth, and can only be predicted with high-power computing gear running high-speed

differential equations. I've read that one important reason for Buzz Aldrin's selection to

crew the first moon landing was that he had an uncanny knack for doing orbital mechanics

in his head, which would have sure come in handy if the computer aboard the LEM had

decided to take an unscheduled break at an embarrassing moment.