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Why do the cargo bay doors have to be opened when the shuttle is in orbit?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
To allow cooling of the Shuttle:
The interior side of the two cargo bay doors are covered with radiators. Those radiators are connected to the overall cooling system of the Shuttle. These radiators have to be exposed to space (i.e. the doors have to be opened) to reject their heat and avoid overheating of the Shuttle subsystems.
This is why the cargo bay doors are opened as soon as the Shuttle reaches its orbit, and are closed only shortly before re-entry.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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How many miles can the space shuttle travel per hour?
It depends on the altitude of the orbit it is in. When the shuttle visits the ISS it is travelling at approximately 17,000 MPH. Incidentally the shuttle is due to make its last flight later this year (2010)
If you plot the distance that a space shuttle in orbit travels on the graph and it travels at a speed of 17580 miles per hour what is the slope of the graph?
17580
How long does take to travel 20 miles in space?
It all depends on the speed with which an object is moving. e.g. In lower earth orbit space shuttle moves with the speed of 4.8 miles per sec. So with such a speed the shuttle takes only 4.16 seconds.
A graph is constructed such that time in hours is the x-variable and distance in miles is the y-variable If you plot the distance that a space shuttle in orbit travels on the graph and it travel?
300000 ~APEX
What is the path of one object circling another?
orbit orbit orbit
Where is the large equipment stored for each mission on space shuttle?
Large equipment for space shuttle missions is stored in the shuttle's payload bay, which is the large open area in the orbiter where satellites, experiments, and other cargo are held during launch and in space. Additionally, some equipment may also be stored in the Shuttle's mid-deck area for easy access by crew members during the mission.
Triple earth's mass effect its orbit?
The earth's mass has no effect on its orbit. An astronaut on a "space walk" hovering over the space shuttle's cargo bay is in the same earth-orbit as the shuttle itself is, although his mass is much less than the shuttle's mass. At the same time, the shuttle and the astronaut are both in the same solar orbit as the earth is, although each of them has quite a bit less mass than the earth has.
What is the Canadian arm?
Canada built the arm in the space shuttle cargo bay used to retrieve satellites or place them back into orbit.
What are the two most common ways that a satellite is launched into orbit?
Riding on a rocket and riding in the cargo bay of a space shuttle
What does NASA use the space shuttle for?
NASA used the space shuttle to transport astronauts and cargo to and from Earth orbit. It was also used to deploy satellites and other payloads into space, conduct scientific experiments, and perform maintenance on the International Space Station.
What is the monuver called when a shuttle enters the Moon's orbit?
The maneuver is called lunar orbit insertion. It involves slowing down the spacecraft to be captured by the Moon's gravitational pull and begin orbiting it.
What is the part of a shuttle that carries the payload?
Payload is carried in the Space Shuttle's Payload Bay. The payload bay is situated behind the crew cabin, in the middle of the orbiter. It is 60 ft long and 15 ft wide. The payload bay has two large doors that open once the shuttle reaches orbit. On the inner side of these doors are radiators which help cool the shuttle. Inside the payload bay, there are latches to hold satellites, space station components, experiments, and other objects in place. The payload bay also holds the space shuttle's remote manipulating system (RMS), KU-band antenna, and several cameras and lights. The space shuttle is capable of carrying about 65,000 pounds of cargo in the payload bay.
What is the first space shuttle sent into orbit?
Columbia was the first shuttle in to orbit on April 13, 1981
How much thrust for space shuttle to break orbit?
The space shuttle's main engines provided approximately 418,000 pounds of thrust each, and the solid rocket boosters provided an additional 1.3 million pounds of thrust each. Together, this allowed the space shuttle to break Earth's orbit and reach space.
How does a space shuttle escape the earth orbit?
The shuttle never leaves Earth orbit, it simply goes into orbit and then returns. Moving to a higher orbit requires additional speed and manuevering, as when visiting the ISS.
Second space shuttle to orbit th earth?
The second space shuttle to orbit Earth was the orbiter Challenger. It completed its first orbital flight on April 4, 1983, as part of the STS-6 mission. Challenger made a total of nine successful flights before tragically disintegrating 73 seconds after launch during mission STS-51-L on January 28, 1986.
How far is the shuttle from earth when in orbit?
The average distance of a space shuttle in low Earth orbit is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth's surface.
