Today it came to my attention that a lot of you don't know what a "space shuttle" is. Well, starting in 1981 and ending in 2011, NASA had a space shuttle fleet -- Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour -- flew 135 missions, helped construct the International Space Station and inspired generations. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. As human kinds first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle pushed the bounds of discovery ever farther, requiring not only advanced technologies but the tremendous effort of a huge workforce. Thousands of civil servants and contractors within NASA and across the nation have shown loyal commitment to mission success and the greatest goal, space exploration. Why was the space shuttle program discontinued? It was all about the money and a tragic accident that occurred to the shuttle Challenger. Challenger exploded shortly after take off, killing the entire crew. After this happened, it was discovered that the shuttle craft failed because of malfunctioning parts. The fleet was getting old and the cost to keep up the entire fleet was going to be great. Building brand new spacecraft that have new missions mean't developing new technologies. That mean't entering unknown territory in which surprises and complications always arise and things take longer and cost more than anticipated. Plus, everyone was still saddened by the loss of their fellow astronauts. In the end, Congress did not fund the program and more or less told NASA if they wanted to continue the program they would need to cut other programs or seek outside financial help from other companies interested in space exploration. The last shuttle mission ended on Thursday, July 21, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. How do American astronauts get to the International Space Station today? They go with the Russians. The Soyuz spacecraft is used to shuttle astronauts and cargo to the ISS today. Russian crew members are called cosmonauts. NASA crew members from the United States are called astronauts. Crew members from Europe, Canada and Japan are also called astronauts. The Soyuz takes cosmonauts and astronauts to and from the space station. A Soyuz has room for three people to ride in it. The spacecraft also brings food and water to the space station. The Soyuz is like a lifeboat. At least one Soyuz is always attached to the space station. If there were an emergency on the space station, the crew could use the Soyuz to leave the space station and return to Earth. The Soyuz launches from a country named Kazakhstan. It is Russia’s neighbor to the south. The Soyuz takes just six hours to get to the space station. The crew uses the hatch on the Soyuz to enter and leave the station. When the crew is ready to come home, they ride in the capsule back to Earth. The Soyuz does not land like an airplane because the Soyuz does not have wheels or wings. To land, the Soyuz drops through Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere slows the capsule. The Soyuz uses parachutes to slow down even more. When the Soyuz gets close to the ground, it fires small rocket engines to slow even more. Even then, the landing is bumpy. The Soyuz lands in the grassy plains of Kazahkstan. After leaving the space station, the Soyuz takes only 3 1/2 hours to land! This is totally awesome!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |