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2009 IEEE Aerospace Conference
Junior Engineering Conference
Big Sky, Montana
March 7-14, 2009
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– The orbiter (This is what most people call the shuttle)
– An external fuel tank (ET)
– Two solid rocket boosters (SRBs)
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– The ET holds 526,000 gallons of fuel
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– They provide over 70% of the thrust to lift the shuttle
ET
SRBs
Crew Access Arm
Orbiter
Mobile Launch Platform
Endeavour on Pad 39B1
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– It is 30 times bigger than a 6 ft tall person
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Orbiter Processing Facility3
Vehicle Assembly Building3
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-50
Days
-45
Days
-30
Days
-28
Days
-21
Days
T-43
Hours
Crawler
takes Shuttle
to Pad
Countdown
Clock
starts
Before Day
of Launch
ET arrives
from
New Orleans
Payload
installed
in Orbiter
Orbiter Orbiter
moved bolted
to VAB to ET
Vehicle Assembly Building1
Discovery move to 39A3
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T-2:25
Hours
T-9
Minutes
T-7:30
Minutes
T-50
Seconds
T-6.6
Seconds
T-0
Seconds
T+2
Seconds
Day of
Launch
Crew
enters
Orbiter
Go/No-Go
Crew
decision access arm
retracts
Orbiter
switches
to internal
power
Photo Credit: NASA
LIFTOFF
Main
SRBs
engines
fire
fire (no stopping now!)
Photo Credit: NASA
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T+2
Minutes
T+8
Minutes
T+8:46
Minutes
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Minutes
Post
Liftoff
Shuttle Post-Liftoff Sequence2
SRB
separation
Orbiter
Main Engines ET
cutoff separation is in space,
Crew is
(MECO)
weightless
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– The simulator lasts about 8 minutes
– The ride was very bumpy
– It goes from just before liftoff to main engine cutoff and ET
separation
– It was fun and very exciting
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– It turns right side up in space before it lands
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Cargo Bay –– big enough for a bus
Cargo Bay door
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– The orbiter acts like a cargo truck in space
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Hubble Space Telescope2
International Space Station2
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Shuttle Re-Entry Sequence2
Shuttle Re-Entry2
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Astronaut Memorial1
Crawler Tracks3
Endeavour, Pad 39B1
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From the VAB
To the Pad
All Photos courtesy
Deborah Minnichelli
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– Website: www.spacetravel.dkonline.com
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