THE SPACE SHUTTLE
For thousands of years mankind has wondered what could be found beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Some thought the Earth was inclosed inside a glass ball, others told stories of the gods and spirits that inhabited this celestial arena.
Today we no longer wonder, now we can actually leave the Earth. NASA's Shuttle Program is one of the most exciting advancements in the world, and will, along with other programs world wide, lead to the exploration of new worlds, and someday even new star systems.
What is the Space Shuttle?
It was a huge leap in technology when the first shuttle was launched, because it represented a space craft that was re-useable for the first time. It is an ingenious cross between an airplane, and a rocket. The shuttle launches like a rocket, orbits like a spacecraft and lands like a plane
How many shuttles were built?
The space shuttle fleet was made up of six spacecrafts: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor.
How long was nasa using the Space Shuttle?
The U.S. Space Shuttle Columbiawas the first shuttle launched. It completed its first mission in April 1981 and made several successive flights. It was followed by the Challenger, which made its first mission in April 1983. Thereafter there have been many successful flights in a number of different shuttles.
The Endeavor was the last shuttle launched into space in September 2010. It was the 134th space shuttle flight.
So, the space shuttle has been sending astronauts to space for 29 years, since 1983 to 2010.
Has there been any accident?
Yes. Space Shuttle Columbia, which was the first ship in the NASA fleet, completed 27 missions before being destroyed in re-entry. All seven of its astronauts were killed.
Also there was another disaster when the Space Shuttle Challengerexploded and broke apart 73 seconds after launching, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. This happened on January 28, 1986
What does NASA use the Shuttle for?
As we discussed above, the Shuttle Program is one of NASA's most exciting endeavors. Through the work done by astronauts during these shuttle missions, back on earth scientists learn the effects of weightlessness on humans, they learn how to make better equipment, they develop invaluable medical, and technological advances, and they set the stage for future exploration.
Who can travel to space?
Today only astronauts can visit Outer Space. This is because a space shuttle mission is very expensive. However, NASA is developing new spacecrafts that will replace the Space Shuttle such as the x34 and x33. These space crafts will make it several times cheaper to fly a space mission, and may eventually allow everyone to take a vacation in space.
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPACE
Intelsat: It’s a Satellite Communication Network that covers the whole world and is located in the orbit of the earth. It has been delivering information and entertainment for 45 years now.
Saturn V: It was an American expendable rocket used by NASA’s Apollo and Skylab program from 1967 to 1973. It was the tallest, heaviest and most powerful rocket in history.
Neil Armstrong:
He was an American astronaut, commander for Apollo 11, the first lunar landing mission. Armstrong was the first astronaut to set foot and walk on the Moon in 1969 When he landed, he said the famous words “This is one small step for man but a giant leap for mankind”. He is still alive; he was born in 1930 so he must be now about 81 years old.
MIR (1986-2001)
The MIR space station was built in sections, each piece launched by a rocket and then joined together in orbit. Construction lasted ten years (1986-1996). MIR was the first consistently inhabited long-term space station. MIR lasted much longer than it was projected and was destroyed in 2001 when it burned up as it crashed back to earth. At first, it was operated by the Soviet Union, but then, when the USSR came apart, Russia opened the program so that other countries could participate. It was visited by astronauts from 12 different nations!
International Space Station (ISS)
The ISS is a huge space station for research and space exploration that began construction in 1986 and will be finished round 2010. In 2000 the first permanent crew moved into the International Space Station (ISS), wherecrews of astronauts have been living ever since,. The stationserves as a research laboratory and is expected to remain in operation until at least 2020.
Alpha Centauri is the nearest and brightest star in the constellation of Centaurus. Although it appears to be a single object, it is actually a binary system
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the third planet in size of our solar system. It has a solid rocky surface and it is quite similar in size and gravity to the Earth. After the moon it is the brightest natural object in the night sky.
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