My Science School

The space shuttle was the world’s first reusable spacecraft. Instead of a stack of rocket stages, it has separate booster rocket and a big fuel tank. The shuttle drops these before reaching orbit. It eventually glides back to Earth using its wings.

What is an MMU?

The Manned Manoeuvring Unit, or MMU, is a small strap-on spacecraft. Together with a space suit, the MMU lets an astronaut move freely through space. It uses 24 tiny jets of gas to travel in any direction.

Amazing! The shuttle has a special area for cargo. It can hold up to 29 tonnes. That’s the size and weight of an adult humpback whale!

Is it true? The shuttle is protected by tiles.

Yes. The shuttle is made from aluminium. This metal is very light, but it melts at high temperatures. A shuttle can heat up to 3,000oC as it returns to Earth, so it needs 20,000 heat proof tiles, which are glued on to its nose and belly.

What does the space shuttle do?

The shuttle was first used for taking large satellites into orbit. After one shuttle blew up in 1986, NASA decided to use unmanned rockets again for launching satellites. The shuttle is now devoted to research, repairing satellites in orbit, and to building a space station.

Robert Goddard, an American engineer, launched the first liquid fuel rocket in March 1926. His rocket, burning petrol and liquid oxygen, flew to a height of 12.5 meters and landed 56 meters from the launch pad. He showed that space flight might be possible in the future.

Amazing! The Chinese invented rockets around the beginning of the last millennium! Powered by an early version of gunpowder, Chinese rockets in AD 1000 looked like fireworks. They were used in battle as flaming arrows! For the last 1,000 years, most big advances in rocket design have been made as a result of war.

What did the first satellite do?

Sputnik 1 was launched into orbit by Soviet Russia on October 4th, 1957, 121 days ahead of its American rival, Explorer 1. Sputnik circled the Earth once every 90 minutes, sending radio messages for 21 days, which the world listened to on the radio.

Is it true? Rockets were used in World War 2.

Yes. The German scientist Wernher von Braun made rockets that could launch bombs across the English Channel. They damaged London without risking the lives of German pilots. Von Braun’s V2 rocket was so successful that after the war, American gave him a job helping with its space programme.

Who was the first earthling in space?

Before the first humans went to space, animals paved the way. Laika, a Russian mongrel dog, was the first earthling in space. Her seven days in orbit proved that space travel would be safe for humans.

Picture Credit : Google