The Space Shuttle was NASA's partially reusable orbital spacecraft that operated from 1981 to 2011. It consisted of an orbiter vehicle with two solid rocket boosters and an external fuel tank. The Shuttle launched numerous satellites and components of the International Space Station over 135 missions. However, two orbiters were lost in accidents in 1986 and 2003, resulting in a total of 14 astronaut deaths. Key components of the Shuttle included the three main engines, two solid rocket boosters, and external fuel tank that was jettisoned after launch. Missions involved launch from Florida, orbital operations for up to two weeks, and a gliding landing back on Earth.

1. Presented by
Gokul Lakshmanan

2. Introduction
• Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth
orbital spacecraft
• Operated by NASA.
• The Space Shuttle was the most complex space
vehicle design of its time.
• Launched from the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) in Florida.
• Its official program name was Space
Transportation System (STS).

3. History
• Total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.
• Launched numerous satellites, interplanetary
probes, and the Hubble Space Telescope, also
participated in construction and servicing of the
International Space Station.
• Total flight duration: 1322 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes
and 23 seconds.
• Total 6 orbiters: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger,
Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.
• Challenger and Columbia were destroyed in
mission accidents in 1986 and 2003.

4. Space Shuttle Orbiters

5. Specifications
SIZE
• Height 56.1 m
• Diameter 8.7 m
• Mass 2030 tones
CAPACITY
• Crew 7 (max)
• Payload to LEO 24 400 kg
• Payload to GTO 3810 kg
• Payload to Polar orbit 12 700 kg
• Payload to Landing 14 400 kg

6. Space Shuttle Launch Configuration

7. • ORBITER
• The orbiter resembles a conventional aircraft.
• Carries Astronauts and payloads
• Space Shuttle Main Engines are mounted on the
orbiter.
• Made from Aluminum alloy.
• Length: 37.237 m
• Height: 17.25 m
• Empty weight: 78 000 kg
• Maximum payload capacity : 25 000 kg
• Operational altitude: 190 to 960 km
• Average Speed: 7.743 km/s

8. Space shuttle orbiter

9. • ENGINES
• Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME):
• Provides thrust for Liftoff
• Engines: 3
• Thrust : 5.255 MN
• Burn time: 480 sec
• Made from Titanium alloy.
• Fuel: LH & LOX
• Orbital Maneuvering Engine:
• Provides thrust for orbital insertion
• Engines: 2
• Thrust: 53.4 kN (combined thrust)
• Typical burn time: 150–250 sec
• Deorbit burn time: 1250 sec
• Fuel: N2O4

10. Space Shuttle Main Engine

11. • EXTERNAL TANK
• One External Tank
• The main function of the external tank was to supply
the LOX and LH fuel to the main engines
• The external tank was the only part of the Shuttle
system that was not reused
• The External Tank contains two internal tanks—one
for the storage of LOX and the other for the storage
of LH
• Length: 46.9 m
• Diameter: 8.4 m
• Propellant volume: 2025 m3

12. .
A Space Shuttle External Tank (ET)on its way to the Vehicle Assembly Building

13. • SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS (SRB)
• 2 Solid Rocket Boosters
• Length: 45.46 m
• Diameter: 3.71 m
• Empty weight (each): 68 000 kg
• Thrust (by each): 12.5 MN
• Burn time: 124 s
• Provide 83% of the total thrust at liftoff.
• Fuel: Solid Fuel(Ammonium perchlorate propellant)

14. Solid Rocket Boosters

15. Mission profile
• A typical shuttle mission lasts seven to eight days,
but can extend to as much as 14 days depending
upon the objectives of the mission.
• A typical shuttle mission is as follows:
• 1. Getting into orbit
o 1.1 Launch
o 1.2 Ascent.
o 1.3 Orbital maneuvering burn.
• 2. Orbital life in space.
• 3. Re-entry.
• 4. Landing.

16. • GETTING INTO ORBIT (Launch Sequence)
• Launched from Kennedy Space Center
• T minus 31sec: Onboard computers take over the
launch sequence
• T minus16 sec: Sound suppression water system
activates
• T minus 6.6 sec: The shuttle's main engines ignites

17. • T minus 3 sec: Shuttle main engines are in liftoff
position.
• T minus 0 sec: SRBs are ignited and the shuttle lifts
offs.
• T plus 20 sec: The shuttle begin a combined roll,
pitch and yaw maneuver to oriented the vehicle
to correct orbit
• T plus 60 sec: Shuttle engines are at maximum
throttle.

18. • T plus 2 min: SRBs separate from the orbiter at an
altitude of 45 km. Parachutes deploy from the SRBs.
SRBs will land in the ocean
• T plus 8.5 min: Main engines shut down.
• T plus 9 min: ET separates from the orbiter. The ET
will burn up upon reentry.
• T plus 10.5 min: OMS engines fire to place orbiter in
orbit.

19. • ORBITAL LIFE IN SPACE
• Shuttle usually flew at an altitude of 320 kilometers
• During 1980s and 1990s, many flights targeted on
missions to the NASA/ESA Spacelab
• During1990s and 2000s the focus shifted more in
building the space station and satellite launches.
• From 2001 to 2011 missions were intended to launch
astronaut to ISS and to service them.

20. RE-ENTRY AND LANDING
• Usually Performed under computer control.
• However, the re-entry could be flown entirely
manually if an emergency arose.
• Begin re-entry by firing its OMS engines.
• Orbiter flies in the opposite direction to orbital
motion for approximately three minutes

21. • This will lower shuttles orbit down into the upper
atmosphere.
• Vehicle enters upper atmosphere at around Mach
25 at a 40-degree nose-up attitude, producing high
drag
• Atmospheric friction produce a temperature of
about 1650 °C during re-entry
• This high temperature will heat up the orbiter

22. • The Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System
protect the shuttle from this high temperature
• The heat shield is made mainly from Silica

23. • By the end of the flight the orbiter reaches lower
atmosphere
• The shuttle now glide through the atmosphere like a
glider
• The vehicle level its wings, lower its nose and began
its approach to the landing site
• Approach and landing phase begin when the
orbiter was at about 3000 m altitude and 12 km
from the runway

24. • The pilots apply aerodynamic braking to help slow
down the vehicle.
• Orbiter's speed is reduced from 682 to 346 km/h
• The landing gears were deployed while the Orbiter
is flying at 430 km/h
•

25. • To assist the speed brake a 12 m drag chute is
deployed.
• The chute was jettisoned once the orbiter slowed to
110 km/h
• Finally the orbiter comes to a Stop.

26. Mission Summary

27. Conclusion
• Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth
orbital spacecraft
• Commissioned and operated by NASA from 1981 to
2011
• It was the most complex machine built at its time
• There were a total of 6 Orbital Vehicles build by
NASA
• A total of 14 astronauts were lost in space due to
space shuttle disaster including Indian astronaut
Kalpana Chawla

28. Reference
[1]Space Shuttle - A future Space Transportation System
Robert.F.Thompson
[2] Kyle, Ed. "STS Data Sheet". spacelaunchreport.com.
Retrieved July 2014.
[3] Space Shuttle Propulsion Systems, p. 153. NASA, June 26,
1990.
[4] Jenkins, Dennis R. (2006). Space Shuttle: The History of the
National Space Transportation System. Voyageur Press. ISBN 0-
9633974-5-1.
[5] "INTRODUCTION TO FUTURE LAUNCH VEHICLE
PLANS [1963–2001] Updated 6/15/2001, by Marcus Lindroos".
Pmview.com. June 15, 2001. Retrieved 2012-04-17.