Photo of The Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle

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Watch the video auto-playing on my page that recaps the entire STS-129 mission. At 3:16 into the video check out a view out the pilots window during launch!Mood: accomplished accomplishedPosted at 5:04 PM Nov 28 view more

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  • The Space Shuttle

  • 28 / Male
  • Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US
  • Last Login: 12/10/2009

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NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH:

Endeavour STS-130

February 4, 2010


› The STS-130 Crew










Enjoy below the most recent
space shuttle pictures
These are updated & changed frequently



As the sun sets behind Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure has been moved away from space shuttle Atlantis during the T-11 hour hold in the launch countdown. Liftoff of the STS-129 mission is set for 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. The movable structure provides weather protection and access for technicians to work on the space shuttle.
November 15, 2009
click image for hi-res image



At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the astronauts on the STS-129 crew, dressed in their orange launch-and-entry suits, pause for a group portrait in front of the Astrovan that will take them to Launch Pad 39A. From left are Mission Specialists Robert L. Satcher Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Commander Charles O. Hobaugh. Liftoff is set for 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm.
November 16, 2009
click image for hi-res image



At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance suit technicians ensure the proper fit of the launch-and-entry suits of the STS-129 crew members. Mission Specialists Randy Bresnik, left, and Leland Melvin indicate they are "go for launch" as they prepare to enter space shuttle Atlantis from the White Room.
November 16, 2009
click image for hi-res image



An exhaust cloud begins to form around space shuttle Atlantis as it springs into action from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr.
November 16, 2009
click image for hi-res image



With nearly 7 million pounds of thrust generated by twin solid rocket boosters and three main engines, space shuttle Atlantis roars into the blue skies over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm.
November 16, 2009
click image for hi-res image



Backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space, a partial view of Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay, vertical stabilizer, orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and docking mechanism are featured in this image photographed by an STS-129 crew member from an aft flight deck window.
November 17, 2009
click image for hi-res image



Backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space, Space Shuttle Atlantis is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 21 crew member as the shuttle approaches the International Space Station during STS-129 rendezvous and docking operations.
November 18, 2009
click image for hi-res image



Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay are featured in this image photographed by an STS-129 crew member as Atlantis and the station approach each other during rendezvous and docking activities on flight day three.
November 18, 2009
click image for hi-res image



Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, astronaut Robert L. Satcher Jr., STS-129 mission specialist, participates in the mission's first session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the six-hour, 37-minute spacewalk, Satcher and astronaut Mike Foreman (out of frame), mission specialist, installed a spare S-band antenna structural assembly to the Z1 segment of the station's truss, or backbone. Foreman and Satcher also installed a set of cables for a future space-to-ground antenna on the Destiny laboratory and replaced a handrail on the Unity node with a new bracket used to route an ammonia cable that will be needed for the Tranquility node when it is delivered next year. The two spacewalkers also repositioned a cable connector on Unity, checked S0 truss cable connections, and lubricated latching snares on the Kibo robotic arm and the station's mobile base system.
November 19, 2009
click image for hi-res image



Astronaut Mike Foreman, STS-129 mission specialist, waves at a camera-bearing crewmate during the second space walk of Atlantis' visit to the international Space Station. Astronaut Randy Bresnik is seen on the right side of the frame. Foreman holds onto a handrail on the U.S. Node 2 or Harmony.
November 21, 2009
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This is a high-angle view of the crew cabin of the space shuttle Atlantis during the second space walk of Atlantis' visit to the International Space Station.
November 21, 2009
click image for hi-res image



Astronaut Robert L. Satcher Jr., STS-129 mission specialist, waves at his space-walking crewmates from inside the crew cabin of the space shuttle Atlantis while docked to the International Space Station. Satcher had participated in the previous STS-129 extravehicular activity on the other side of the window.
November 21, 2009
click image for hi-res image



The bright sun greets the International Space Station in this Nov. 22 scene from the Russian section of the orbital outpost, photographed by one of the STS-129 crew members.
November 22, 2009
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On a day of minimal mission assignments in between two days of busy spacewalks, one of the STS-129 crewmembers onboard the International Space Station recorded this image of a docked Soyuz spacecraft over the docked space shuttle Atlantis. A scene of Earth's horizon forms the background.
November 22, 2009
click image for hi-res image



The STS-129 crew members pose for a portrait following a joint news conference with the Expedition 21 crew members (out of frame) from the Harmony node of the International Space Station while space shuttle Atlantis remains docked with the station. Pictured (clockwise) from bottom left are astronauts Charles O. Hobaugh, commander; Mike Foreman, Leland Melvin, Robert L. Satcher Jr. and Randy Bresnik, all mission specialists; along with Barry E. Wilmore, pilot; and Nicole Stott, mission specialist.
November 24, 2009
click image for hi-res image



Backdropped by a blue and white part of Earth, space shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 21 crew member on the International Space Station soon after the shuttle and station began their post-undocking relative separation. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 3:53 a.m. (CDT) on Nov. 25, 2009.
click image for hi-res image


This site is dedicated to the crews of
Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia
who gave their lives for our US space program
and to all of our Astronauts who have flown
and will fly into space!


HIGH FLIGHT

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

And while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

John Gillespie Magee, Jr.


NASA’s Space Shuttle is the most capable, versatile and reliable space-faring vehicle in the world today. As a major transportation link between Earth and low Earth orbit (LEO), the Shuttle has kept the United States on the cutting edge of space exploration and scientific discovery from 1981 through today.

The Space Shuttle is a unique vehicle with unrivaled capabilities. It is the launch vehicle for all U.S. and many international components of the International Space Station (ISS).

The Space Shuttle’s extensive capabilities include:
• Payload deployment
• On-orbit assembly
• Crew transfer
• On-orbit research
• Satellite retrieval and repair
• On-orbit, point-to-point maneuvering of people and cargo
• Cargo return

No other launch vehicle – either in development or in operation today – can match the Space Shuttle’s capabilities. The missions of the Space Shuttle range from the retrieval and return of errant satellites, the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope, the deployment of probes to study distant planets, dockings with the Russian space station Mir and assembly of the International Space Station (ISS).

As missions have become increasingly more challenging over the years, the most adaptable and capable element of Space Shuttle operations has proven time and again to be human beings. Human involvement in space operations provides the unique aspects of observation, interaction and intervention that can reduce risk and make the difference between the failure and success of multi-million dollar missions.

Reliability

Since its first flight in 1981, the Shuttle has flown over 100 times, carrying over two-thirds of the humans ever to have flown in space. The Shuttle fleet has logged more than 300 million miles – well in excess of the distance from the Earth to the Sun and back – and has carried more than 2.1 million pounds of cargo and more than 700 major payloads into orbit. The fleet has accumulated more than 700 days of total flight time, equating to more than 10 years of total person time in space.

The Space Shuttle's past missions have affected our lives in fundamental ways, through improvements in a wide range of fields such as patient care, communications, education, and agriculture.

Upgrading the Space Shuttle

Much like complex yet reliable aircraft such as the B-52, C-130 and 737 – many of which have been flying successfully for more than thirty years – the Space Shuttle’s performance and reliability continually improves with upgrades and modifications to its systems and structures. And thanks to past upgrades, the Shuttle now incorporates the latest technology in many of its systems.

The Future

Construction in orbit of the International Space Station began in 1998. The Shuttle is playing a pivotal role in the assembly of the International Space Station. The Shuttle is providing the tools, technology and human ingenuity to assemble and operate the Space Station in the unforgiving and challenging environment of Earth’s orbit. The Space Shuttle's fly to and from the Space Station carrying astronauts, major structural components and supplies. Upon completion of the International Space Station NASA will retire the Space Shuttle program in 2010.

The Space Shuttle Program will be replaced by the Constellation Program. Click the below link to learn more about the Constellation Program.






The reusable Orbiters are only a part of the overall Shuttle system. The Shuttle system consists of an Orbiter Vehicle (OV), an External Tank (ET), and twin Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), which together weigh 4.5 million pounds fully fueled, produce seven million pounds of thrust, and are capable of lifting up to 65,000 pounds of cargo to orbit, plus a flight crew to manipulate the cargo.


Orbiter

Each Orbiter is 121 feet long with a wingspan of 78 feet – about the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner. Its payload bay measures 60 by 15 feet. The forward fuselage houses the pressurized crew cabin including the cockpit and crew working and living areas. The mid-body consists of the payload bay, the wing, and main landing gear attach points. The aft fuselage holds the main engines, the orbital maneuvering system (OMS), the reaction control system (RCS) and the vertical tail. Each Orbiter is designed for a lifetime of 100 flights.

External Tank (ET)

The ET, which is the only major component of the Space Shuttle that is not reusable, is 154 feet long and 28.6 feet in diameter. To meet the needs for flights to the International Space Station, a new super lightweight tank was recently developed that incorporates aluminum-lithium in its internal structures, reducing the overall tank weight by 7,500 pounds. Weighing slightly more than 71,000 pounds without fuel, the ET weighs 1.67 million pounds with a full load of liquid propellant and oxidizer. Thousands of gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen are drawn from the tank by the Shuttle’s main propulsion system during ascent. Once orbit is achieved, the tank is ejected and disintegrates in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs)

Each Shuttle is equipped with two SRBs that provide the initial thrust and acceleration to allow the main engines to carry the Orbiter into space. The boosters are 116 feet long, 12 feet in diameter and contain more than one million pounds of solid propellant. The propellant burns at 5,800 degrees and each SRB delivers 2.65 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. After two minutes, at an altitude of about 24 miles, the boosters separate from the ET and descend by parachute into the ocean, where they are collected for refurbishment and reuse. The Shuttle SRBs are the largest solid rocket propellant motors ever built and the first to be used on a human-rated spacecraft.

Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSMEs)

The SSMEs are the most reliable and highly tested large rocket engines ever built. With a maximum thrust at sea level of more than 418,000 pounds each, they work in tandem with the solid rocket boosters from liftoff until SRB separation, about two minutes after launch, after which they are the sole means of propelling the Orbiter into space. The engines are gimbaled to steer the Shuttle during the climb to orbit. Normal engine operating time during ascent is about 8.5 minutes, and each engine has a designed operating lifetime of about 7.5 cumulative hours.



Click Link above for The
SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH ARCHIVES



Orbital Tracking
Click Link above to track the orbit of
Space Shuttle (when in orbit) & Space Station

Click Link above to watch NASA TV online




Atlantis docked with the International Space Station
Image used with permission from: Ron Dantowitz, Marek Kozubal,
Clay Center Observatory Dexter and Southfield Schools

This remarkable image of the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis docked with the International Space Station (ISS) during the STS-117 mission was taken at a range of 190 nautical miles. To record the fast moving pair, astronomers at Clay Center Observatory, near Boston, Massachusetts, planet Earth, used a satellite tracking system and 25-inch diameter telescope in combination with a digital video camera. In the sharp picture, Atlantis is below and left of center. The aft view shows three main engines just below its vertical tail glinting in the sunlight. With the Sun shining from below, the body of the orbiter casts a long shadow across the ISS itself and impressive details of the ISS solar arrays used for power generation are easily visible. The large set of solar arrays installed at the lower right was delivered during this visit from Atlantis.











Click links above to visit Space Shuttle & Space Station web sites


Is not God in the height of heaven?
and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
Job 22:12




Some pictures & information where used
with permission from United Space Alliance



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