Space Exploration

Space Travel After Shuttle

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Hi there, perhaps I can clear up a little confusion.

To be in orbit around the Earth means that you’re traveling fast enough “horizontally” that the Earth curves away beneath you as you fall towards it. If you can balance your horizontal velocity appropriately with your downward acceleration due to gravity, you’ll never hit the ground but instead will circle around and around the Earth (providing you are well outside of Earth’s atmosphere…the atmosphere provides drag which slows you down and will eventually make you hit the ground.)

Once you’ve gotten yourself into a stable orbit, there are three basic ways to leave it. First, if you’re orbiting far enough out from the Earth, the gravity of another object like the Moon or Sun can disrupt your orbit and send you flying off into space. That isn’t a problem for the space shuttle because it’s not NEARLY that far out.

The second way to leave orbit is to intentionally slow the shuttle down so that your trajectory intersects with the ground. Space shuttle astronauts do this at the end of every mission; it’s how they get home.

The third way to leave orbit would be to speed the shuttle up so much that it moves away from the Earth faster than the Earth’s gravity can slow it down. This is called escape velocity, and I think this is at the heart of what you’re asking. The escape velocity depends on how far away you are from the Earth. For space shuttles leaving the ground, the escape velocity is just over 11 kilometers per second. Space shuttles just don’t have enough fuel on board to accelerate them up to 11 km/s, so it isn’t possible for them to “leave orbit” in that way.

So, the only legitimate way for a shuttle to leave orbit is to return to Earth. A shuttle typically orbits the Earth at around 300 km above ground (although it might be higher or lower depending on its particular mission), so that’s about the height from which the shuttle leaves orbit.

Hank Talks to NASA About the Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle Thermal 16oz. Travel Mug $19.95 Space Shuttle Thermal 16oz. Travel Mug Our newest travel mug depicts a beautifully rendered, 3 dimensional space shuttle on one side. It is a high quality,16oz. Stratford all Stainless Tumbler. Double Wall Thermal Stainless Steel Interior with Stainless Steel Exterior.

Space Shuttle Challenger Tribute Photo $12.95 Space Shuttle Challenger Tribute Photo This is an 8 x 10 Tribute Photo of Space Shuttle Challenger. This image hangs in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Challenger’s accomplishments include the first night launch and first African-American in space, Guion Bluford, on STS-8, the first in-flight capture, repair and redeployment of an orbiting satellite during STS-41C, the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, on STS-7, and the first American woman to walk in space, Kathryn Sullivan, during STS-41G. Challenger is credited with blazing a trail for NASA’s other orbiters with the first night landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on STS-8 and the first landing at Kennedy on STS-41B. The spacewalker in the tribute represents Challenger?s role in the first spacewalk during STS-6 and the first untethered spacewalk on STS-41B. Crew-designed patches for each of Challenger?s missions lead from Earth toward a remembrance of the STS-51L crew, which was lost 73 seconds after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986. Five orbiter tributes are on display in the firing room, representing Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Endeavour and Discovery. Graphic design credit: NASA/Lynda Brammer.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Adult T-Shirt $16.95 Space Shuttle Endeavour Adult T-Shirt Our new Space Shuttle Endeavour T-Shirt features Shuttle Endeavour after liftoff with the rocket boosters dis-engaging. The years 1992 – 2011 are printed under Space Shuttle Endeavour as well, commemorating the years in which Endeavour flew it’s missions.Silk screen printed on heavyweight 100% pre-shrunk cotton.Uni-sex sizing. SIZE MEDIUM IS TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK

Ladies V-Neck Space Shuttle T-Shirt $20.95 Ladies V-Neck Space Shuttle T-Shirt A great new design from Labusch Skywear, features aSpace Shuttle after launch.Ladies V-Neck Tee – 95% Cotton 5% Spandex Jersey. Color: Light Blue. Size Large is temporarily out of stock

Space Shuttle Orbiter Collection in 1/144 scale $699.95 Space Shuttle Orbiter Collection 1/144 This beautiful, newly released set, includes all 6 Space Shuttle Orbiters. They are exquisitely presented on a wood plaque, that includes an American Flag and NASA logo. The scale of each model is 1/144.The Space Shuttle Orbiter’s individual fleets are named and numbered similar to ships. All orbiters tend to be externally and identically similar, but they have minor internal differences. The Challenger (OV-099) was tragically destroyed after its liftoff in January 28, 1986. The Enterprise (OV-101) was used for test landings. The Columbia which was tragically destroyed during reentry in February 1, 2003. And the other orbiters, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.

Space Shuttle Orbiter Collection in 1/200 scale $599 Space Shuttle Orbiter Collection 1/200 This beautiful, newly released set, includes all 6 Space Shuttle Orbiters. They are exquisitely presented on a wood plaque, that includes an American Flag and NASA logo. The scale of each model is 1/200.The Space Shuttle Orbiter’s individual fleets are named and numbered similar to ships. All orbiters tend to be externally and identically similar, but they have minor internal differences. The Challenger (OV-099) was tragically destroyed after its liftoff in January 28, 1986. The Enterprise (OV-101) was used for test landings. The Columbia which was tragically destroyed during reentry in February 1, 2003. And the other orbiters, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.

Children’s Space Shuttle Astronaut Flight Pants $49.95 Space Shuttle Astronaut Flight Suit While working in the shuttle during orbit, astronauts work in comfortable clothes such as knit shirts, pants, or flight suits.Our Space Shuttle Astronaut two-piece suit replicates the in-flight crew uniform worn by men and women inside the orbiter.From 1981 to 1986, astronauts wore powder blue pants with a polo shirt embroidered with their mission logo. After 1986, NASA changed the color of the pants to royal blue.We are offering a line of historic mission insignia polos and the flight trousers in both eras’ colors.This suit makes a great astronaut costume for Halloween, school projects or backyard space missions. Space Shuttle Astronaut Pants Just like the trousers worn by Space Shuttle astronauts, these pants feature multiple zipper pockets, pouches, and Velcro™ fastener strips for carrying gear. These can be worn with any of our NASA mission polo shirts or with our new line of astronaut shirts from historic Space Shuttle missions Color: Powder Blue or Royal BlueSpecial Return Policy: No returns/refunds accepted for this item. Suits can be exchanged for another size, and defective merchandise will be replaced with an identical item. Sizing: 6/7: Waist 25-27″ Leg Inseam 17″ 8/10: Waist 26-29″ Leg Inseam 22″ 10/12: Waist 28-31″ Leg Inseam 24″ 14/16: Waist 30-33″ Leg Inseam 27″

The Space Shuttle: Celebrating Thirty Years of NASA’s First Space Plane [Hardcover] $39.95 The Space Shuttle: Celebrating Thirty Years of NASA’s First Space Plane [Hardcover] Author: Piers Bizony Bookviews by Alan Caruba”…a classic coffee table book, 10.5 x 11.25, 300 pages and filled with 900 color photos. In short, the perfect Christmas gift for someone who is an enthusiast for life and travel in outer space. In the 1980s, on assignment, I had the opportunity to visit the John F. Kennedy Space Center and tour the site where rockets and space shuttles were launched. I saw a shuttle up close and that is to say I saw a vehicle that was the size of a small building and marveled that it could be lifted beyond Earth?s gravity to circle the planet. One can only marvel at the courage of the crews that went aloft and the scientific and technological mastery that made it possible. This book is a keeper!” This superbly designed and lavishly illustrated book marks a special moment in history: the final mission of the space shuttle. Noted space and science author Piers Bizony has put together a retrospective that covers the entire space shuttle program. In addition to covering every space shuttle mission, the book also covers the development and design of the space shuttle, as well as the technical specifications of the vehicle and details of its major assemblies and subassemblies. A full double-gatefold provides a large-scale technical drawing of the space shuttle. Features: Hardcover: 300 pages Publisher: Zenith Press; First edition (October 2, 2011) Language: English Book Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.5 x 1.3 inches

Space Shuttle Challenger Acrylic with Flown Artifact $115 Space Shuttle Challenger Acrylic with Flown Artifact These are the first official Space Shuttle custom-designed and professionally produced acrylics :Made out of the most advanced acrylic available on the market today – Plexid 55 – these are ultraclear with no discoloration over time. Unlike other privately made acrylics these are real blocks, not cheaply glued or screwed together. Each block is in the size of 3”x4′ and about 1” thick.Perfect for any office table or even flat down in a cabinet!This acrylic contains a flown piece of flown AFRSI (Advanced Flexible Reusable surface insulation blanket) on STS-41 G and removed after the flight. (NOT from the ill-fated flight STS-51-L, but removed before).Any items from the Space Shuttle Challenger are incredibly rare as they were all secured after the explosion of the orbiter and little was released before such as this blanket. The AFRSI blanket is used instead of heatshield tiles as it is more flexible as the name says.A flown larger piece of Challenger has sold at over $8000 in a LunarLegacies auction last year.Comes with a certificate of authenticity and copies of the original NASA papers. SORRY, NO DISCOUNTS ALLOWED ON THIS ITEM

Space Shuttle Columbia Acrylic with Flown Artifact $115 Space Shuttle Columbia Acrylic with Flown Artifact These are the first official Space Shuttle custom-designed and professionally produced acrylics :Made out of the most advanced acrylic available on the market today – Plexid 55 – these are ultraclear with no discoloration over time. Unlike other privately made acrylics these are real blocks, not cheaply glued or screwed together. Each block is in the size of 3”x4′ and about 1” thick.Perfect for any office table or even flat down in a cabinet!This acrylic contains a flown piece of duct tape installed in the orbiter Columbia, flown on STS-5 and removed after the flight. (NOT from the ill-fated flight STS-107 but removed before)Comes with a certificate of authenticity and copies of the original NASA papers. SORRY, NO DISCOUNTS ALLOWED ON THIS ITEM

Shuttle Discovery Flown Blanket $59.95 The Space Shuttle was the first reusable spaceship in the world. A total of 6 Space Shuttle’s were build : Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. Two Space Shuttle’s were lost in flight : Challenger (STS-51L) and Columbia (STS-107). This presentation bears a piece of an insulation blanket installed in the Space Shuttle Discovery and flown several times in space ! Comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity plus a fact sheet about the Shuttle. PLEASE NOTE : This part has been officially scrapped by NASA after it last flew on STS-70 in 1995 as part of the regular maintenance and comes with a copy of the original NASA problem report that caused the removal from the orbiter. Also certified as flown by well-known space expert Ken Havekotte of SCCS. Your presentation package includes : 8×10 color glossy presentation – ready to mat and frame Flown piece of the insulation blanket Certificate of authenticity Attractive fact sheet with interesting facts about the Space Shuttle No discounts allowed on this item

Lanyard with Flown Space Shuttle Columbia piece of a insulation blanket encapsulated $39.95 Lanyard with Flown Space Shuttle Columbia piece of a insulation blanket encapsulated Own a flown Space Shuttle artifact for under $40! This highend luxurious lanyard contains a FLOWN piece of a insulation blanket that was installed in the Space Shuttle Columbia – encapsulated in the acrylic cap.The buckle is made out of solid metal that has a futuristic spaceship design that resembles a bit the space shuttle. The strap is made out of white Nylon and has security lock to open in the case of extreme pressure to avoid any personal damage and damage to the lanyard. All other parts such as the keychain are also made out solid metal. Hold it in your hands and you realize the difference to cheap plastic giveaway lanyards ! A certificate of authenticity is stitched into the strap with a unique serial number. The source is a insulation blanket flown on STS-93 (and possibly many other previous flights of Columbia) and removed after this flight. NASA papers are in our possession documenting authenticity. NOTE : The flown artifact of the Space Shuttle Columbia is NOT from the ill-fated flight STS-107, but removed earlier during regular maintenance and sold afterwards. No discounts allowed for this presentation

Revell 1:200 Snaptite® Space Shuttle Plastic Model Kit $16.95 Revell 1:200 Snaptite® Space Shuttle Plastic Model Kit No Glue! No Painting! This is new for 2009. This 27 piece model snaps together without glue, for easy assembly. No gluing or painting necessary. It includes decals and a stand as well.Developed by NASA as the first reusable U.S. space vehicle, the entire Space Shuttle system consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external fuel tank. After four orbital test flights (1982-82) of the space shuttle Columbia, operational flights began in November 1982. Features: Includes two astronauts and payload modules Cargo bay doors open Peel ‘N Stick decals and display stand Molded in white and black For ages 8 and up

Space Shuttle STS Flights 1-5: The NASA Mission Reports $23.95 Space Shuttle Sts 1-5: The NASA Mission Reports Space Shuttle STS 1-5 – The NASA Mission Reports comes with a bonus Windows CDROMfeaturing NASA movies, hundreds of images and more!The Space Shuttle is one of the great triumphs of modern technology. 122 feet long, capable of carrying 65,000 lbs of cargo and weighing in at 90 tons, Rockwell?s Orbiter stands alone as the world?s only aircraft capable of flying into space and returning at speeds exceeding 18,000 miles per hour. On April 12th 1981 two astronauts climbed aboard the fully fueled and integrated Space Transportation System. Twenty years before on the same day a Russian missile had propelled 10,395 lbs into space using 1.1 million pounds of thrust. Gagarin flew 25,000 miles in 108 minutes. On this day 180,000 pounds would ride atop 7.7 million pounds of thrust. However, this crew would be landing on a runway after travelling over a million miles in a little over 54 hours. This book covers the Space Shuttle through the test flight stage and on to its first operational flight. Comprising rare NASA documents never before released to the public the reader is taken inside this remarkable machine in the words of some of the men who flew it. Features and Reviews: Recommended as a good summary of the beginnings of the nation?s long series of shuttle flights and early lessons learned.? – CHOICE Paperback: 464 pages Publisher: Collector’s Guide Publishing Inc; Pap/Com edition (May 1, 2001) Language: English Book Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 1 inches Bonus CD-ROM Included! The NASA Mission Reports Space Shuttle STS 1-5 – The NASA Mission Reports comes with a bonus CDROM featuring NASA movies, hundreds of images and more!

Shuttle Columbia Flown Heatshield Door Fragment $79.95 The Space Shuttle was the first reusable spaceship in the world. A total of 6 Space Shuttle’s were build : Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. Two Space Shuttle’s were lost in flight : Challenger (STS-51L) and Columbia (STS-107). This presentation bears a piece of a “Heatshield door fragment” installed in the Space Shuttle Columbia and flown several times in space ! Comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity plus a fact sheet about the Shuttle. PLEASE NOTE : This part is NOT from the ill-fated STS-107 flight but has been removed in 1997 as part of the usual maintenance and officially released by NASA as scrap – thus completely legal to own.Any debris of the Columbia found after STS-107 are illegal to own and must be returned to NASA ! Your presentation package includes : 8×10 color glossy presentation – ready to mat and frame Flown piece of the heatshield flipper door Certificate of authenticity Attractvie fact sheet with interesting facts about the Space Shuttle No discounts allowed on this item

CELEBRATING THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM $995 Winco Space Shuttle Program Pinset is now available at The Space Store, Celebrating the Space Shuttle Program.

LEGO® Space City Shuttle $39.95 Lego Space City Space Shuttle at The Space Store. The new Lego Space City Shuttle set is now available. Shop online, ships worldwide

Space Shuttle Party Cups $4.5 Space Shuttle Party Cups are a must have at any Astronaut or Space Shuttle Birthday Party. Check out all of our party supplies at The Space Store.

Space Shuttle Chart Poster $13.95 This Poster gives an interior cutaway view of the of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. There is also a chart of the specifications. The stunning launch shot in the poster is that of Atlantis, Shuttle Mission STS-42 in 1992.The Space Shuttle Chart Poster is 24×36 inches

Space Shuttle Bunk Bed $2595 Space Shuttle bed at The Space Store. We have everything for a space theme room. Award winning customer service.