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How does a space shuttle fly after it drops its boosters?
I'm Ms. Balint at the International Community School. My 2nd graders have a few questions and I'd like to share your advice with them. Thanks in advance!
#astronaut #engineering
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Steve’s Answer
Hello, adding on to what Hassan said, after the Shuttle reaches a speed of around 17,500 MPH the engines will shut down. At this speed the shuttle is flying fast and high enough to overcome the pull of gravity so it stays in orbit around the earth. When it is ready to return home it faces the back of the shuttle in the direction it is flying (backwards) and fires the engines just enough to slow them down to the point they will slowly start falling back to earth. Some VERY smart people use math to figure out when to fire the engines and how long so they eventually land back in Florida.
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Viswa’s Answer
Since the audience is 2nd graders, I'm gonna answer in non-technical way.
Picture this : You and your mom are now in a beach. Seeing the nice sunny weather and fresh cool water, you are racing to jump into the water so that you can happily start swimming. But... the mother is not willing (out of love) to let you go jump in to the water, because you might catch cold.
But then you wrestle, fight your mom's hands and you somehow get out of her "grip" and jump into the seawater than start "Swimming"...
This is what happening in space too. You are the space shuttle, your mom is mother earth's gravity and the sea is space, your fight to come out of mom's grip is the boosters....
Once the shuttle escapes earth's gravity, the boosters are lost and the shuttle starts swimming in space without any gravity.
Picture this : You and your mom are now in a beach. Seeing the nice sunny weather and fresh cool water, you are racing to jump into the water so that you can happily start swimming. But... the mother is not willing (out of love) to let you go jump in to the water, because you might catch cold.
But then you wrestle, fight your mom's hands and you somehow get out of her "grip" and jump into the seawater than start "Swimming"...
This is what happening in space too. You are the space shuttle, your mom is mother earth's gravity and the sea is space, your fight to come out of mom's grip is the boosters....
Once the shuttle escapes earth's gravity, the boosters are lost and the shuttle starts swimming in space without any gravity.
Updated
Hassan’s Answer
The space shuttle has 3 internal main engines https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/F_Aeronautics_of_Space_Shuttle.html that continue to power it after booster separation.
Ones it leaves earth's atmosphere and gravity is reduced, it uses smaller reaction control system engines to move in orbit.
On re-entry it's basically a glider that doesn't use engines to descend.
Ones it leaves earth's atmosphere and gravity is reduced, it uses smaller reaction control system engines to move in orbit.
On re-entry it's basically a glider that doesn't use engines to descend.