One of the main missions of the orbiter spacecraft is the delivery of systems and supplies to the International Space Station. The three main stages of the mission are the launch and ascent into orbit, the orbit and mission activities, and then the re-entry and landing. The shuttle missions, from lift-off to landing, take typically between seven and 14 days. The orbiter space vehicle also has three main engines. The orbiter spacecraft is attached to two solid fuel rocket boosters which are recovered after launch and one external liquid-fuelled propellant tank that is ejected and not recovered. “Nasa plans to retire the space shuttle programme in 2010.” Nasa plans to retire the space shuttle programme in 2010, replacing it with the new Orion crew exploration vehicle (CEV) and Ares launch rocket, whose main mission will be to support exploration of the Moon and other destinations. The first orbiter was the Enterprise which was a non-orbital test vehicle. The first space shuttle was launched in April 1981. The space shuttle is the family of manned launch vehicles used by US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) to place payloads and crews into low earth orbit. A Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station can be seen in the foreground. Space shuttle Discovery after undocking from the International Space Station in November 2007. NASA mission control, the flight control centre. The NASA space shuttle with the Endeavour orbiter. Launch of Atlantis, Mission STS-122 to deliver the European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS), in February 2008. The space shuttle orbiter's glass cockpit is fitted with an eleven panel full colour display Multifunction Electronic Display System (MEDS). The payload bay doors are then closed, and the hardware is ready for flight.Space shuttle orbiter vehicle Discovery landing at the end of Mission STS-120 in November 2007.Īfter touchdown, the speed-brake on the vertical tail and a drogue parachute are deployed to bring Discovery to a halt in November 2007. Payloads can be installed in the Orbiter either at the launch pad or in the Orbiter Processing Facility.Īt the pad, once the launch package has been installed in the Orbiter's payload bay, real-time test data is transmitted from the pad to the SSPF User Room to verify that the payload is working properly. The payload canister is then driven slowly across Kennedy Space Center to the Shuttle. It is carefully packed into the payload canister, a large container with an interior identical in size and dimensions to the Shuttle's payload bay. Once the hardware has satisfied all test requirements, it is ready to be loaded into the Shuttle's payload bay. Multi-Element testing (MEIT) provides an opportunity for engineers and technicians to modify or correct deficiencies while the hardware is accessible on the ground. Any conflicts that appear can then be safely resolved before the elements reach orbit.Īstronaut crew members are also given an opportunity to participate in "hands-on" testing to prepare them for their individual missions. Computer models of each physical interface are constructed, then these digital models are brought together. Since none of the elements are physically connected before they meet on orbit, a Digital pre-Assembly (DPA) is conducted during processing to discover any physical incompatibilities. After the payload arrives at the SSPF, workers spend the next several months physically integrating experiments and other payloads into the hardware. Other items will be delivered to the hardware inspection area. Items requiring use of the airlock will be unpacked either in the airlock or in the highbay if the airlock is in use. Most ISS payloads are delivered to the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). Upon its arrival at KSC, usually via cargo plane landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, new Space Station hardware is checked for identification and damage, inventoried, and transported to the appropriate location.
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