Space Exploration Stack Exchange
Space Exploration Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [space-shuttle]

The Space Shuttle was a crewed, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft operated by NASA from 1981 to 2011.

610 questions
45
votes
4 answers

How hard would it be to fly a Space Shuttle again?

Since in the wake of the failure of Soyuz MS-10, "humanity is effectively trapped on Earth" (this of course ignores Chinese launchers), one might try to fly one of the remaining Space Shuttle orbiters again. How hard would it be to get them into…
Martin Schröder
  • 935
  • 2
  • 8
  • 27
21
votes
1 answer

Why is the mid-deck on the Space Shuttle named as it is?

The (retired) NASA Space Shuttles has two decks. The flight deck, and the mid-deck. Why is the mid-deck called "mid-deck"? It is not the middle of three decks. Shouldn't it, strictly speaking, be called the "lower deck" (following naval traditions…
TheHvidsten
  • 313
  • 2
  • 6
21
votes
2 answers

Space shuttle exhaust after landing

In this video at 7:12 you can see a thermal shot of a landed space shuttle. There is a periodic white cloud coming out of the top. What is this cloud?
OrangePeel52
  • 2,561
  • 1
  • 16
  • 38
20
votes
4 answers

Was the space shuttle design negatively influenced by science fiction?

The space shuttle looked like space ships in Star Trek and a lot of other science fiction movies/TV. Did people's expectation of what a space vehicle should look like, based on futuristic movies/tv shows, negatively influence the design of the…
Lightsout
  • 375
  • 2
  • 6
20
votes
3 answers

How long did it take, at a minimum, to prep a shuttle for launch after it landed?

The Space Shuttle relied on a pair of SRBs, and fuel supplement in the External Tank for it's launch. Assuming Payload, Service parts/consumables, Crews, SRBs, and ET were ready - How long did it take, at a minimum, to prep a shuttle for launch…
Everyone
  • 13,629
  • 2
  • 33
  • 141
18
votes
2 answers

Why were four Space Shuttle orbiters initially built?

Since only one Space Shuttle orbiter was ever in space at a time, it seems logical that only two would be needed: one for the mission and the other as a backup for an emergency rescue. Perhaps a third could prove useful if one is in for repairs…
Keavon
  • 395
  • 2
  • 10
17
votes
3 answers

I am looking for information on the power connector used on the Space Shuttle to power a GridCase 1530 laptop

I have done continuity tests on the 3 pins. 1 is obviously ( from the continuity tests ) a ground pin. 1 is switched by the power switch. 1 has resistance and seems to change impedance when the power is switched on. If anyone has any information on…
Matt Joyce
  • 501
  • 3
  • 10
16
votes
1 answer

What did the "R" in e.g. STS-32R stand for?

This site already has a couple of good answers explaining that, after NASA returned to sequentially numbering Space Shuttle missions following STS-51-L, some flights were internally written with an R appended to avoid duplicating old designations.…
A. Howells
  • 303
  • 1
  • 7
13
votes
1 answer

How was the airlock installed on the Space Shuttle mid deck?

I just finished the Haynes manual on the Space Shuttle, and it mentions that on some missions, an airlock was carried on the mid-deck area. I'm more familiar with the airlock carried in the payload bay on other missions. So apparently, it was…
Hobbes
  • 127,529
  • 4
  • 396
  • 565
12
votes
1 answer

Was there any truth that the Columbia Shuttle Disaster had a contribution from wrong angle of entry?

The principal of my tiny school in Japan was presenting to a student to suggest he make a speech on the Space Shuttle's reentry aspects. He included newspaper articles on the Columbia space disaster. From Daily Yomiura newspaper 2003, a Japanese…
user2617804
  • 221
  • 2
  • 4
12
votes
1 answer

What are the two openings above the Shuttle's cockpit?

In this image of Discovery, two openings above the main windows are visible: What are they used for? Sightseeing?
user12
12
votes
2 answers

At what point was nose wheel steering "added" to the Space Shuttle design?

A comment below this answer to my question "Runway landing with a front skid instead of wheel - how does steering happen? (Dreamchaser)" says: In fact, the Space Shuttle didn't originally have nosewheel steering. It was added after brake damage…
uhoh
  • 148,791
  • 53
  • 476
  • 1,473
11
votes
2 answers

Shuttle emergency landing location question

There are lists of airports identified as emergency landing locations, many on the east coast. Some are military, some are public airports. Has anyone ever seen procedures on how this would be handled? It doesn't appear these airports were on any…
rtphokie
  • 259
  • 1
  • 6
11
votes
1 answer

Did the Shuttle payload bay have illumination?

Were there lights inside the Shuttle cargo bay, either to provide illumination when the doors were closed or to better illuminate cargo when the doors were opened? Slightly related: Have optical zoom systems been used in space exploration?
DrSheldon
  • 47,946
  • 12
  • 162
  • 329
11
votes
1 answer

What are the sparks flying at the bottom of SSMEs at the time of launch?

I saw the sparks flying at the bottom of SSME just before the launch in below video. Are they used for igniting the excess propellant gas? [9 min 24 sec][1]
cosmic_tintin
  • 704
  • 4
  • 10
1
2 3