How did the Orbiter Vehicle work? (Space Shuttle)

The space shuttle launched like a rocket. But it landed like a glider airplane. The solid rocket boosters and the main engines on the orbiter helped the shuttle blast off from Earth like a rocket. ... When the shuttle orbiter returned to Earth, it came down from the sky like an airplane

What does the orbiter do on a space shuttle?

An orbiter is a space plane that goes into orbit around the earth. The Space Shuttle orbiter was the size of a small jet airliner, and is still by far the largest spacecraft ever launched into orbit. Its main engines were used only during launch.

How were the space shuttles names?

Q. What are the names of the Space Shuttle orbiters? A. Their names, in the order they were built, are Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.Aug 3, 2017

Are space shuttles still used?

The Space Shuttle was retired from service upon the conclusion of Atlantis's final flight on July 21, 2011. The U.S. relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to transport astronauts to the ISS from the last Shuttle flight until the first Commercial Crew Development launch on May 30, 2020.

What were the 6 space shuttles?

Six orbiters were built for flight: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.

How much do astronauts get paid?

Astronauts' annual salaries are determined using a government pay scale, and starting out, typically fall under two grades: GS-12 and GS-13. According the US government's 2020 pay scales and a NASA job listing, a civilian astronaut in 2020 can earn between $66,167 and $161,141 per year.May 21, 2020

Why did NASA stop?

"The bottom line answer is that it was too expensive. Way too expensive," former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory system engineer Mark Adler wrote in 2015. "The shuttle never met its promise for low-cost access to space by virtue of the system's reusability."May 21, 2020