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If they remain on the shuttle it would be pulling extra weight that it would need and that would reduce its fuel efficiency.

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Q: Why do the SRB's drop off the shuttle?
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What happens to the rocket when it breaks away from the shuttle?

About 200 seconds after the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) break away from the NASA space shuttle parachutes are deployed at 15,000 feet and they land in the ocean. The SRBs usually land 140 miles off the coast of Florida where they float and are recovered by NASA. Once they are recovered they are refurbished and used on several other shuttle launches.


At what altitude do solid rocket boosters fall off?

The SRBs are jettisoned from the shuttle system at 2 minutes and an altitude of about 146,000 feet (44.5 km).


What part of the spaceship falls off first?

around two minutes into the launch, the SRBs, 2 white solid rocket boosters, detach from the space shuttle and parachute into the ocean, where they are retrieved to reuse. The SRBs are the extra power that really pushes the shuttle into space.After about 8 minutes, the EXT, the external fuel tank (big red thing), falls and explodes in the atmosphere. It has no rocket engine- it just supplies the shuttle's engines with fuel during takeoff.


How does the Space Shuttle take off?

Space shuttles took of vertically, attached to an external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters (SRBs).A space shuttle takes off by burning fuel at very high temperatures and this provides lift. The rocket needs to carry extra tanks of fuel for it to provide the combustion for a reasonable amount of time until the shuttle gets into orbit.


What makes a space shuttle go up?

At launch the Shuttle (orbiter) is attached to two rockets -- the long white tubes on the sides are called solid rocket boosters (SRBs). Also, the big orange tank the Shuttle sits on at launch is a full of liquid fuel. At launch the SRBs ignite/start and the shuttle's main engine begins burning the liquid fuel. These three engines push the shuttle up into orbit. If you are asking how a rocket engine works. If you put an object beside a bomb, when the bomb goes off it knocks/pushes the object away. If you put a firecracker under an empty tin can, the firecracker will knock the can up into the air (see link below). You can think of a rocket engine as creating many continuous explosions that push it.

Related questions

What happens to the rocket when it breaks away from the shuttle?

About 200 seconds after the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) break away from the NASA space shuttle parachutes are deployed at 15,000 feet and they land in the ocean. The SRBs usually land 140 miles off the coast of Florida where they float and are recovered by NASA. Once they are recovered they are refurbished and used on several other shuttle launches.


At what altitude do solid rocket boosters fall off?

The SRBs are jettisoned from the shuttle system at 2 minutes and an altitude of about 146,000 feet (44.5 km).


What are the two parts parts that can be reused on a space shuttle?

The two white SRBS and the orbiter itself.


What part of the spaceship falls off first?

around two minutes into the launch, the SRBs, 2 white solid rocket boosters, detach from the space shuttle and parachute into the ocean, where they are retrieved to reuse. The SRBs are the extra power that really pushes the shuttle into space.After about 8 minutes, the EXT, the external fuel tank (big red thing), falls and explodes in the atmosphere. It has no rocket engine- it just supplies the shuttle's engines with fuel during takeoff.


After take off the shuttle drop off in the ocean?

The Challenger on January 28, 1986.


How does the Space Shuttle take off?

Space shuttles took of vertically, attached to an external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters (SRBs).A space shuttle takes off by burning fuel at very high temperatures and this provides lift. The rocket needs to carry extra tanks of fuel for it to provide the combustion for a reasonable amount of time until the shuttle gets into orbit.


What makes a space shuttle go up?

At launch the Shuttle (orbiter) is attached to two rockets -- the long white tubes on the sides are called solid rocket boosters (SRBs). Also, the big orange tank the Shuttle sits on at launch is a full of liquid fuel. At launch the SRBs ignite/start and the shuttle's main engine begins burning the liquid fuel. These three engines push the shuttle up into orbit. If you are asking how a rocket engine works. If you put an object beside a bomb, when the bomb goes off it knocks/pushes the object away. If you put a firecracker under an empty tin can, the firecracker will knock the can up into the air (see link below). You can think of a rocket engine as creating many continuous explosions that push it.


How does the rocket get the abiliti stopstart engine?

For liquid fuel rockets, it is sometimes as easy as turning off a switch. For solid fuel rockets (like the SRBs on the Space Shuttle) there is no way at all to stop the engines; they quit when the fuel is all burned. That was the problem with the Challenger.


Why does the space shuttle turn around during liffoff?

The Space shuttle performs what is called a roll maneuver at about T+ 20 seconds after lift off. This maneuver is done for many reasons. The first reason is the shuttle needs to fly heading relatively eastward over the Atlantic ocean. Depending on the mission type and altitude required, the shuttle roll duration is variable. This is done also to change the orbit inclination. Some shuttle missions require the shuttle to fly over more northern parts of the globe. A second reason for this maneuver is that the shuttle flies upside down for safety reasons (this has more to do with pitch then roll but I felt the need to explain it). If the shuttle were to fly with the Solid Rocket Boosters, SRB for short, and the External Tank, ET (the SRBs are the two white rockets and the ET is the orange gas tank) under it and an emergency situation were to arise and the crew needed to separate the shuttle from the rest of the launch vehicle, the shuttle would be unable to maneuver out of harms way. Flying with the SRBs and ET over the shuttle allows for a quick evacuation.


What are space shuttles designed for?

The space shuttle is a space vehicle designed to carry five to seven crew members into space. It is made of four components namely, external tank, two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) and one orbiter.The orbiter is reuseable as well as the SRBs. The external tank is lost in space.


Which rocket is used to launch the space shuttle?

Space shuttle generally launches itself with just a boost from two solid rocket boosters(SRBs) that are dropped soon after start. The element that gives the appearance of big rocket is actually an external fuel tank.


What part of the shuttle is reused?

The orbiter, the airplane looking part, and the solid rocket boosters are reused. However, the SRBs (solid rocket boosters) have to be completely dismantled and almost totally rebuilt.