Space Shuttle

No, the space shuttle program was retired by NASA in 2011. Since then, NASA has been using different spacecraft, like SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner, to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

The first space shuttle ever built was the Space Shuttle Enterprise. It was constructed as a prototype and test vehicle and never flew into space. Enterprise was used for approach and landing tests before the operational shuttle flights began with Columbia.

The Columbia Space Shuttle spent a total of 15 days, 16 hours, and 34 minutes on its final mission before tragically disintegrating upon reentry on February 1, 2003.

On the 12th of April 1981, Commander John Young and Pilot Roger Crippen launched aboard the first ever space shuttle launch. The mission started from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and ended at the Edwards Air Force Base in California 2 days later.

No, a fly cannot fly on a rocket because rockets provide too much acceleration and force for a small insect like a fly to withstand. The intense speed and pressure of a rocket launch would be fatal for a fly.

The space shuttle does not use solar panels . Instead it uses Fuel cells that mix hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity, heat and water. the shuttle could also use Auxiliary Power Units or APU to generate hydraulic power for the aerodynamic control surfaces (elevons, body flap, rudder...)

A space shuttle has never left the galaxy and never will. However, theoretically it would take a space shuttle an unimaginable amount of time to leave the galaxy. (I'm sure someone can provide a more precise answer).

The official answer... way to long!

If you really want a mathematical answer lets give it a try...

speed of light is 3*10^8 m/s

60 secondes per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 24 hour per day and 365 days per year:

60*60*24*365 = 31 536 000 secondes/year.

300 000 km/s * 31 536 000 s/year = 9 460 800 000 000 km/year ---> this is the distance light travels in one year.

The Shuttle travels at an approximate speed of 28 000 km/h

28 000 km/h * 24 * 365 = 245 280 000 km/year

100 000 light years * 9 460 800 000 000 km = 946 080 000 000 000 000 km

946 080 000 000 000 000 / 245 280 000 = 3 857 142 857 years

I hope there is an inflight movie!

Space shuttles were designed for multiple missions, but they required extensive refurbishment between flights. The average number of flights for a single shuttle was around 25-30 missions. Each shuttle was retired after completing its designated mission count.

The first shuttle to explode during a mission was the space shuttle Challenger back in 1986. It exploded 73 seconds after launch, killing all 7 people aboard. Space Shuttle
Endeavour was built to replace Challenger.

The most recent shuttle disaster was in 2003 with space shuttle Columbia. The shuttles heat tiles were damaged during launch. The damaged tiles were not able to protect the shuttle effectively and exploded killing all 7 astronauts aboard.

A rocket typically goes through three main stages to reach space: launch, ascent, and orbital insertion. During launch, the rocket lifts off from the ground and accelerates through the atmosphere. In the ascent stage, the rocket continues to gain altitude and velocity until it reaches the desired orbit. Once in orbit, the rocket performs a final burn to achieve a stable trajectory in space.

Yes, space shuttles were designed to be reusable for multiple missions. They were launched into space, landed back on Earth, and then refurbished for another mission. However, the space shuttle program has been retired, and new vehicles like SpaceX's Crew Dragon are now used for space missions.

According to a report on the SpaceRef web site linked below as 'Lockheed Martin Awarded External Tank Contract', NASA has a contract with Lockheed Martin, New Orleans, that totals $2.94 billion to build 17 external tanks through Sept. 2010. That comes out to be an average price of around $170 million per tank.

However, the report mentioned above is about an addition to the external tank contract, so it may be a misprint and the 17 external tanks may be additional tanks added to take the contact to the end of the shuttle program. According to the reference linked below as 'The Assembly and Production of the External Tank', each tank costs about $55 million as of 1995.

Later tanks, called the Super Light-Weight Tanks (SLWT) cost around $5 million more than the earlier version, the Light-Weight Tank. The SLWT costs more because they use an aluminum/lithium alloy that is more expensive and harder to work than earlier materials. By making the tank lighter, the shuttle is able to carry a heavier payload. This change allowed the shuttle to meet the payload requirements for construction of the International Space Station.

The temperature outside a space shuttle while it orbits Earth can vary greatly depending on whether the shuttle is exposed to direct sunlight or in the shadow of Earth. In direct sunlight, temperatures can reach up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, while temperatures can drop significantly below freezing in the shadow of Earth. The shuttle's thermal control system helps regulate internal temperatures and protect it from extreme temperature fluctuations.

In microgravity conditions in space, water forms into spherical shapes due to surface tension and does not behave the same way as on Earth. It does not "float" in the traditional sense but rather sticks together in floating droplets.

The fuel used by the main space shuttle engines is super-cold liquid hydrogen, kept at a temperature of -253oC. The hydrogen fuel is combusted with liquid oxygen in a reaction that reaches temperatures of up to 3136oC to creates a high-speed stream of gas which ultimately generates the thrust necessary for launching the shuttle. This gas stream is essentially just very hot water steam with no CO2.

A spacecraft traveling to Mars would take about 6-9 months using current technology to complete the journey. The speed would depend on the trajectory chosen, but typically it would travel at an average speed of about 24,600 mph (39,600 km/h) during the trip. This speed is manageable and does not pose a risk to the astronauts on board.

Depends on how fast the shuttle was going. If it was traveling the speed of light, then only four years. The averal orbital velocity of the space shuttle is 17,000 - 18,000 mph. So let's see...

Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, 3600 seconds in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 365.25 days in a year.

So light travels 5,869,713,600,000 miles in a year

In four years it would travel 23,478,854,400,000 miles.

It would take the Space shuttle traveling an average of 18,000 mph 1,304,380,800 hours to reach that distance, which is 54,349,200 days or 148,800 years

The space shuttle Challenger, which exploded in 1986, was made by NASA, with various contractors involved in its construction and maintenance. The tragic accident occurred 73 seconds after liftoff due to the failure of an O-ring seal in one of the solid rocket boosters, leading to the disintegration of the shuttle.

The space shuttle is traveling at a speed such that its fall to earth matches the curvature of the earth. As a result, it is "falling" to the earth at the same rate that the earth's surface is rotating away, so it stays in orbit.

The ISS is 357 feet long, and compare that to a football field which is 360 feet long.

The space shuttle is a reusable spacecraft. It has 3 main engines powered by liquid fuel which are used to launch it into orbit with help from similarly reusable solid fuel boosters (the white rockets along the side of the shuttle during launch).

When returning after a mission, the space shuttle is unpowered and glides back for a landing.

See related question.

Differences: A single stage rocket uses all its fuel in one blast and only has one booster stage while space shuttles and multi stage rockets have more than one rocket. - Difference: A single stage rocket cannot go into space while a space shuttle and a multi stage rocket can
Difference: In a multi stage rocket and space shuttle, there is more that one rocket that burns to lift the payload off the ground. After the Stage has used all its fuel and is no longer burning it drops off the other rockets (stages). In a single stage rocket, all the fuel is used in one stage.
Similarity: Both space shuttles and multi stage rockets add junk into earths orbit. A multi stage rocket carries less weight because it drops the empty stages off after they have fully burned and then starts burning a new stage so that there is less weight to carry for the burning rocket so does a space shuttle; a single stage rocket dose not.
Similarity: Multi stage rockets and space shuttles add space junk into the earths orbit when they enter space.

Wikipedia's Top Contributor; Daxter17 =)
Thanks for the e-mail's about the topics guys!

When the space shuttle goes through the atmosphere, the space shuttle can then by itself land safely because no fuel will be needed. You can use the atmosphere of the earth to slow the space shuttle down allowing it land safely with the payload. The payload will still be on the space shuttle because it won't be removed, only the equipment will be removed from the space shuttle. The shuttle has to do no work whatsoever when bringing it back to earth because it won't be needing fuel when landing on earth.

Economics is the main reason space shuttle orbiter vehicles land at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) landing facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida following each mission in space.

Millions of dollars are saved each time the orbiters can land at the same facility where they will be processed for their next mission as opposed to landing at a facility from where the orbiters would have to be transported back to KSC to be prepared for the next mission.