how does the space shuttle maneuver in the exosphere
2 answers
It uses small use electrical-ion or monopropellant chemical thrusters
The Space Shuttle Orbiter travels ~13,875 miles before reaching a typical 185 mile altitude circular orbit, approximately 25 miles above the oft-defined 160 miles altitude of the lower boundry of the exosphere. The Space Shuttle Reaction Control System provides attitude control and three axis translation during orbit insertion, on-orbit, and reentry phases of flight.
the only rocket propellants remaining on the Space Shuttle Orbiter once it has reached orbit are the propellants associated with the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) and the Reaction Control System (RCS).
The RCS provides for attitude control and three axis translation during the orbit insertion, on-orbit, and reentry phases of each flight as well as primary flight control above 70,000 ft. altitude. The OMS provides the thrust for orbital insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous and deorbit.
The OMS system consists of two pods, one on each side of the upper aft fuselage flanking the vertical stabilizer of the Orbiter. Each pod contains a high-pressure helium storage bottle, four tank pressure regulators and controls, a fuel tank, an oxidizer tank, and a pressure fed regeneratively cooled rocket engine. A maximum
of 4,505 lbs. of Monomethyl Hydrazine MMH fuel and 7,433 lbs. of Nitrogen Tetroxide N204 oxidizer can be carried in each pod. Each engine produces 26,700 lbs. of thrust in a vacuum and is designed to be reuseable for 100 missions, and capable of 1,000 starts and 15 hours of cummulative firing.
The Space Shuttle Orbiter does its turning by means of a Reaction Control System (RCS) which has 38 bipropellant primary thrusters and six vernier thrusters to provide attitude control and three axis translation during the orbit insertion, on-orbit, and reentry phases of the flight. The RCS is used as the primary flight control system above 70,000 feet. The RCS consists of three modules, one in the nose of the forward fuselage section, and one in each of the Orbital Maneuvering Syatem (OMS) pods on either side of the vertical tail at the rear of the fuselage. All the modules are used during external tank separation, orbital insertion and orbital maneuvers while only the aft modules are used for reentry. Each of the primary thrusters provides 870 pounds of vacuum thrust and is designed to be reusable for 100 missions, capable of sustaining 50,000 starts and 20,000 seconds of
cumulative firing. The vernier thrusters each provide 25 pounds of vacuum thrust, are designed for 100 missions, being started 500,000 times, for a total of 125,000 seconds of cumulative firing. The RCS enables the orbiter to perform pure rotation about all three axes and pure translation in either direction along all three axes. The propellants used are Monomethyl Hydrazine (MMH) as the fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide (N204) as the oxidizer. Each of the 3 fuel tanks carries 930 lbs. of MMH and each of the 3 oxidizer tanks carries 1,488 lbs. of N204. The propellants are hypergolic, which means they ignite on contact with one another and need no ignitor.
Ref: Aerofax Datagraph #5-Rockwell International Space Shuttle by Dennis R. Jenkins, Aerofax, Inc., Arlington,
TX, 1989.
the only rocket propellants remaining on the Space Shuttle Orbiter once it has reached orbit are the propellants associated with the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) and the Reaction Control System (RCS).
The RCS provides for attitude control and three axis translation during the orbit insertion, on-orbit, and reentry phases of each flight as well as primary flight control above 70,000 ft. altitude. The OMS provides the thrust for orbital insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous and deorbit.
The OMS system consists of two pods, one on each side of the upper aft fuselage flanking the vertical stabilizer of the Orbiter. Each pod contains a high-pressure helium storage bottle, four tank pressure regulators and controls, a fuel tank, an oxidizer tank, and a pressure fed regeneratively cooled rocket engine. A maximum
of 4,505 lbs. of Monomethyl Hydrazine MMH fuel and 7,433 lbs. of Nitrogen Tetroxide N204 oxidizer can be carried in each pod. Each engine produces 26,700 lbs. of thrust in a vacuum and is designed to be reuseable for 100 missions, and capable of 1,000 starts and 15 hours of cummulative firing.
The Space Shuttle Orbiter does its turning by means of a Reaction Control System (RCS) which has 38 bipropellant primary thrusters and six vernier thrusters to provide attitude control and three axis translation during the orbit insertion, on-orbit, and reentry phases of the flight. The RCS is used as the primary flight control system above 70,000 feet. The RCS consists of three modules, one in the nose of the forward fuselage section, and one in each of the Orbital Maneuvering Syatem (OMS) pods on either side of the vertical tail at the rear of the fuselage. All the modules are used during external tank separation, orbital insertion and orbital maneuvers while only the aft modules are used for reentry. Each of the primary thrusters provides 870 pounds of vacuum thrust and is designed to be reusable for 100 missions, capable of sustaining 50,000 starts and 20,000 seconds of
cumulative firing. The vernier thrusters each provide 25 pounds of vacuum thrust, are designed for 100 missions, being started 500,000 times, for a total of 125,000 seconds of cumulative firing. The RCS enables the orbiter to perform pure rotation about all three axes and pure translation in either direction along all three axes. The propellants used are Monomethyl Hydrazine (MMH) as the fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide (N204) as the oxidizer. Each of the 3 fuel tanks carries 930 lbs. of MMH and each of the 3 oxidizer tanks carries 1,488 lbs. of N204. The propellants are hypergolic, which means they ignite on contact with one another and need no ignitor.
Ref: Aerofax Datagraph #5-Rockwell International Space Shuttle by Dennis R. Jenkins, Aerofax, Inc., Arlington,
TX, 1989.