answersLogoWhite

0

The Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) also known as the RS-24 engines are liquid fueled reusable engines made by Rocketdyne and burn liquid hydrogen as their fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidiser. The shuttle has three engines. The fuel is stored in the large orange External Tank strapped to the shuttle's belly.

On the way to orbit, the shuttle also uses two reusable solid rocket boosters (SRBs) which provide about 83% of the takeoff thrust. These use a solid fuel containing aluminum (the fuel), ammonium perchlorate (the oxidiser), iron oxide (a catalyst), and the mixture is held together with an epoxy and a binder (which also acts as fuel).

While in space, the shuttle uses the reaction control system (RCS) thrusters which are seen on various places on the shuttle orbiter, and two orbital manoeuvering system (OMS) engines. The RCS and OMS use monomethyl hydrazine as the fuel and nitrogen tetroxide as the oxidiser.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Engineering

Which kind of rocket engines are used on the space shuttle?

liquid because ir never runs out <3


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.

Related Questions

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?


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.


What kind of space shuttle need?

I dont know what your talking about


What kind of space shuttle did Apollo 13 use?

Apollo 13 did not use a Space Shuttle. Apollo 13 was in April, 1970. The Space Shuttle was not invented until the '80s. Apollo 13 was launched by Saturn V.


How safe was the space shuttle challenger?

the space shuttle challenger was kind of safe. the only problem was that it was a cold day and the O-rings broke because of the cold.


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.


What kind of fuel did the space shuttle use?

Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.


What is the name of the american space shuttle that goes into orbit?

There were 5. Space Shuttle Columbia (destroyed in 2003), Space Shuttle Challenger (destroyed in 1886), Space Shuttle Discovery, Space Shuttle Atlantis, and Space Shuttle Endeavour.