Space Shuttles

What is the cost of a Space Shuttle?

A Space Shuttle cost approximately US $2.1 billion.

How much does a spacecraft weigh in space?

A spacecraft in orbit has been said to be in a state of weightlessness -- but the preferred term today is microgravity. Microgravity results from giving a spacecraft enough forward velocity to counter-balance the downward pull of gravity. Another way to look at it is that a spacecraft in a circular orbit is always falling toward Earth, because gravity is pulling on it as it does on all orbiting objects, but its forward speed is high enough to keep the curved surface of the Earth below moving a way, at a rate equal to the amount of fall. The net result -- since there is no air in space to create friction and slow the spacecraft down -- is that the orbiting object stays the same distance above the surface. Everything in or near the spacecraft is also operating in microgravity. A spacecraft on a long voyage between planets is actually in orbit around the sun, where its forward velocity counters the pull of gravity, in the same manner that a satellite orbits the Earth.

What is the Space Shuttle's speed, altitude and amount of fuel used?

The speed of a Space Shuttle in low Earth orbit is about 17,500 miles an hour. An orbiter can fly at various altitudes, from below 190 to about 350 miles above sea level, depending on the mission requirements. Spacecraft or other payloads that must operate at higher altitudes have rocket motors attached. These are fired after the spacecraft is a safe distance away from the orbiter. Many communications satellites reach a final altitude of about 22,300 miles in this manner, where they operate above the equator. Some spacecrafts have extra stages attached that fired to send them on their way to other planets.

Each of the Solid Rocket Boosters on a Space Shuttle contains more than one million pounds of propellant, and the External Tank is loaded with 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. A new External Tank is used on each launch, but the Solid Rocket Boosters are refilled with propellant for other Shuttle missions