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About three minutes into a Space Shuttle launch, the Solid Rocket Boosters are jettisoned and fall back to the Earth. Parachutes are used to slow the solid rocket boosters down so that they hit the water at a safe speed that won't cause any damage. Recovery ships from the Kennedy Space Center then sail to their location, pick up the boosters, and take them back to be refurbished and used again.
About nine minutes into the flight, the external fuel tank is jettisoned. Because of the high altitude, there is no way to bring the external tank back to Earth intact. Instead, the external tank is allowed to re-enter the atmosphere, where it is burned up and destroyed over the Indian ocean.
What else can I help you with?
What happens to solid rocket boosters and the external tank after launch?
the rocket boosters and the external tank has their own parachute deployed after the separation and a given altitude. As they go down back to earth they are intended to land in the ocean where they will be recovered and put back to service.
What parts of the space shuttle are reusable and which are not?
http://quest.nasa.gov/aero/events/regimes/space.html The Orbiter and Rocket boosters are re-useable The External Fuel Tank is not.
Do Space Schuttle External Fuel Tunks get retrieved after falling back to Earth?
The orange tank does not get retrived, it is left to burn up in the atmosphere. However, the two Solid Rocket Boosters attached to the side of the main tank do get collected as they fall into the ocean having detached 2 minutes after launch.
How do Space Shuttles Work?
Space shuttles work by utilizing three major components to reach their destination. There are two rocket boosters that are critical for the launch itself and the external fuel tank that carries enough fuel for the launch. The orbiter is the component that carries the astronauts and payload. The boosters are ignited to launch the shuttle and separate shortly after launch. When the orbiter reaches its optimum height, the external fuel tanks separate. The orbiter is then set for the orbital path it will follow around the earth. When the orbiter is ready to return to the earth it will use an engine retrofire to leave its orbit and descend to re-enter the earth's atmosphere where it will land.
Where do the parts that detach from the space shuttle go?
The two white Solid Rocket Boosters land in the sea aided by drogue chutes, and are recovered by ships for return to their manufacturer to be prepared for re-use. The large External Fuel Tank burns up as it re-enters the atmosphere.
What is the last component to be lit at launch for a space shuttle?
The Solid Rocket Boosters ignite last.
Where do the parts that fall from the rocket go?
The twin rocket boosters (two white ones) fall into the Atlantic ocean just East of Cape Canaveral, Florida after about 8 minutes of flight. The external tank (big orange one) falls off in space a while after. The twin rocket boosters are retrieved by two carrier type ships near Kennedy Space Center. The two boosters are the reused, but the external is not. Little known fact, all the external tank does is hold the liquid oxygen and other prepellents, it is the twin boosters and orbiters which do all the work! Hope this helped, Adam.
What part of the space shuttle is reused?
The Space Shuttle's orbiters were designed to be reused for multiple missions. After each flight, the orbiter would undergo refurbishment and upgrades to prepare for its next mission. The solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank were not reusable and were discarded after each launch.
Is a space shuttle a rocket?
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.
What is the part of a shuttle that uses solid fuel?
At launch, there are two solid rocket boosters on either side of the external fuel tank. They are the white rockets that are attached to the orange fuel tank.
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 space shuttle circles earth?
The space shuttle orbiter orbits the earth. The solid rocket boosters are jettisoned within the earth's atmosphere, around two minutes after launch and the External Fuel Tank is jettisoned once in space.
