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The RS-25, which is the official designation of the SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine), is composed mostly of a network of various pumps and valves that prepare the propellant for combustion. Like the engines of the rockets before it, the space shuttle's engines work by combining a fuel with an oxidiser (that is, an oxidising agent) and igniting the resulting mixture. This two-part propellant is necessary because fire needs oxygen to burn, and there is no oxygen in space; the oxygen is thus supplied by the oxidising agent.
For the SSME, liquid hydrogen is used as the fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidiser. These enter the shuttle from the orange external fuel tank (ET) through separate fuel lines. Turbopumps increase the pressure of each propellant component, preparing it for the combustion chamber (higher pressure causes more thrust). The components (which are still kept separate at this point) go through a number of other pathways that are annoyingly technical to describe (for an in-depth description of the processes, check out the related link at the bottom of this answer); for example, some fuel and oxidiser go directly to the main combustion chamber (MCC) and are ignited, while some fuel goes instead to a pipe around the nozzle and acts as coolant to prevent it from overheating, while some oxidiser is converted to gas and used to pressurise the oxidiser tank.
Ultimately, though, the fuel and oxidiser are combined in the MCC and ignited. The resulting combustion and expulsion of the burning mixture through the SSME nozzle produces a lot of thrust--1859 kN of thrust at sea level, and 2279 kN in a vacuum (space).
What else can I help you with?
What is a engine used on a spaceship?
There are actually two types of boosters that were both used by the space shuttle before their decommission. To propel the vehicle out into space from the surface of the earth out past the atmosphere, the shuttle used SRB's, or Solid Rocket Boosters. The engines on the actual shuttle are LRB's, or Liquid Rocket Boosters. These are used to propel the space vehicle further into space and into orbit around the earth.
What is a shuttles main engine powered by?
The Space Shuttle main engines are powered by a combination of Liquid Oxygen (LOX) as an oxidizer and Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) as a fuel. Both propellants are stored in the space shuttle's External Tank during launch. They are fed into the space shuttle's main engines by umbilical lines on the external tank, and then the orbiter's main propulsion system feed lines. The Space Shuttle's main engines can achieve a thrust level of about 512,300 pounds, which is greater than 12,000,000 horsepower.
Should you replace the space shuttle with a jet engine and carbon steel or provide stronger steel to jets to go into space?
A jet engine cannot take you into space as there is no air in space to provide the jet engine with oxygen. Also metals cannot survive reentry as they melt and burn up, unless protected by some type of heat shielding material..
How many trips did the Space Shuttle Columbia make?
The space shuttle Columbia completed 27 successful space flights, not including its final flight whereupon it was destroyed in the Earth's atmosphere. It was the only shuttle apart from the Challenger never to dock with the Mir Space Station or the International Space Station.
How do the rocket engines on the Space Shuttle ignite?
As regards the main engines on the rocket, there is an ignitor associated with each rocket motor. An internal "blowtorch" of fuel and oxidizer in each engine is ignited with spark plugs.
Why is the Space shuttle main engine used on a space shuttle?
UUUHH...it's called a "space shuttle" main engine...why do you think?
Where do they live on the space shuttle?
they live and work in the space shuttle.
Would a guitar work in a space shuttle that is in space?
I have known that it will not work in space while you are in the space shuttle. But it is a good thing that it works on earth but the bad thing is that it doesn't work in space. Answered by:SAV
Is the space shuttle louder than a jet engine?
Yes, the space shuttle is louder than a typical jet engine. During launch, the space shuttle's main engines produce around 200 decibels of sound, whereas a jet engine typically generates around 140 decibels.
Why is hydrogen used in the space shuttle engine?
To fuel it and cool it
Why is there a white triangle under the space shuttle engines when they are lit?
Why is there a white triangle under the space shuttle engines when they are lit? Within the flame produced by a lit space shuttle engine, there are temperature and pressure differences causing the flame to appear in different colors. The white triagle is made the by the shape of the space shuttle engine in combination with these temperature and pressure differences.
Will rockets work in space?
Yes. The space shuttle uses rockets in space to manuever.
How does the endeavor space shuttle work?
The same way as the others.
What is the definition for main engine cut off?
Main engine cut off or MECO is when a space shuttle reaches the orbit and the external tank is jettisoned and the all 3 SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engines) are turned off
What was the last space shuttle ever built?
Space Shuttle Endeavour was the final Space Shuttle built. It was built to replace Space Shuttle Challenger.
The first space shuttle?
The first space shuttle developed by NASA was the Space Shuttle Enterprise, which never flew in space and was used for atmospheric flight tests. The first space shuttle to reach space was the Space Shuttle Columbia, which launched on April 12, 1981.
Why is it advantageous for astronauts to live on a space station rather than a space shuttle?
it is advantageous for astronauts to live on a space station rather a space shuttle because a space station allow astronauts to stay and work extended time . A space shuttle is a space craft to transport astronauts , satellites, and other materials to and from space.
