Why was the space shuttle so complicated?

Why was the space shuttle so complicated?

Criticism of the Space Shuttle program stemmed from claims that NASA’s Shuttle program failed to achieve its promised cost and utility goals, as well as design, cost, management, and safety issues. Fundamentally, it failed in the goal of reducing the cost of space access.

What was wrong with the space shuttle design?

As an engineer I think there was one major design mistake regarding the space shuttle. The design mistake was the attempt to combine the X-15 aerospace drop-from-altitude aerospace plane design with a ground-launched rocket design. This new design concept was never tried or tested, and that was an engineering mistake.

Why did they design the space shuttle to land as a plane?

After completing its mission, the winged orbiter would re-enter and land horizontally on a runway. The idea was that full reusability would promote lower operating costs.

What are the disadvantages of space shuttles?

The complicated system added greatly to risk and cost. Lack of modernization – or lets call it.. “Ageing”. Elon Musk stated that the very reusability of Shuttle prevented from evolving at the same rate as other rockets. There were very few real design changes.

How bad was the space shuttle?

Let me spell it out for you: out of five Shuttles–Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor—two met a disastrous and fiery fate. That’s a 40\% vehicular failure rate (updated) and a flight failure rate of 1.5\%. This would have grounded any other vehicle permanently.

Did the space shuttle fail?

The space shuttle program was retired in July 2011 after 135 missions, including the catastrophic failures of Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003 that killed a total of 14 astronauts.

How big is the space shuttle compared to an airplane?

The height of the full shuttle stack, including the external fuel tank, is 184.2 feet. Gross weight is 4.5 million pounds at liftoff. That’s almost four times as weighty as the heaviest airplane ever built, the 1.2-million-pound Russian An-225 airplane.

What happened to the 747 that carried the space shuttle?

The following year, it was dismantled and then transported to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for preservation. Since 2016, it has been on display in an area of the center called ‘Independence Plaza,’ with a replica Space Shuttle attached to it.

What are the advantages of a space shuttle?

The shuttle’s benefits For example, the shuttle has lofted many important pieces of hardware into space, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. And shuttle missions repaired and upgraded Hubble multiple times, enabling scientists to see the universe as never before.

What is the gross liftoff weight of Space Shuttle?

The stack, as the composite of orbiter, tank and boosters is called, has a gross liftoff weight of 2000 tonnes. Its height is 56 m and the boosters with the three Space Shuttle Main Engines generate 30.16 MN of thrust.

Why do Space Shuttle orbiters have blankets?

When we think about blankets, we see them as protection from cold temperatures. But for the Space Shuttle orbiter, blankets mean protection from intense heat.

What is the main engine of the Space Shuttle?

Space Shuttle Main Engines The three Space Shuttle Main Engines, in conjunction with the Solid Rocket Boosters, provide the thrust to lift the Orbiter off the ground for the initial ascent. The main engines develop thrust by using high-energy propellants in a staged combustion cycle.

What is the burn time of a Space Shuttle engine?

The burn time of the engines is 480 seconds. The main role of the External Tank is to supply the liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellants to the main engines, but it also holds the attachment points for the two Solid Rocket Boosters and the Orbiter itself. The External Tank is the only non-reusable part of the Space Shuttle system.