Discovery lands safely in CA

[polishsausage248]

i am curious why it got diverted just because of some thundershowers......is the space shuttle more vulnerable to damage from storms than other aircraft?

[Messerschmitt Man]

i am curious why it got diverted just because of some thundershowers......is the space shuttle more vulnerable to damage from storms than other aircraft?

I'm pretty sure the Space Shuttle is like 1 big ass glider when it enters the earth's atmosphere or whatever.

With thundestorms the wind is often unstable and unpredictable with updraughts/ downdraughts etc, and like a glider the shuttle only really has one chance at the approach and landing phase. Unlike an airliner in similar weather conditions, the shuttle crew are unable to abort the landing for another attempt should the need arise.

[polishsausage248]

I'm pretty sure the Space Shuttle is like 1 big ass glider when it enters the earth's atmosphere or whatever.

With thundestorms the wind is often unstable and unpredictable with updraughts/ downdraughts etc, and like a glider the shuttle only really has one chance at the approach and landing phase. Unlike an airliner in similar weather conditions, the shuttle crew are unable to abort the landing for another attempt should the need arise.

could the space shuttle take off a runway using its three main enginesand fly around like an airplane?

[chrisburns]

I'm pretty sure the Space Shuttle is like 1 big ass glider when it enters the earth's atmosphere or whatever.

With thundestorms the wind is often unstable and unpredictable with updraughts/ downdraughts etc, and like a glider the shuttle only really has one chance at the approach and landing phase. Unlike an airliner in similar weather conditions, the shuttle crew are unable to abort the landing for another attempt should the need arise.

Actually the space shuttle flies like a brick. Ahh the things you learned at space camp

[Messerschmitt Man]

could the space shuttle take off a runway using its three main enginesand fly around like an airplane?

my understanding is the purpose of the three main engines located at the back of the fuselage is to provide the remainder of the thrust (29 percent) to lift the shuttle off the pad and into orbit. The engines burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which are stored in the external fuel tank (ET). They draw liquid hydrogen and oxygen from the ET at an amazing rate, equivalent to emptying a family swimming pool every 10 seconds.

So I guess in theory it's possible for the space shuttle to take off on a runway with it's 3 engines like a normal aeroplane, but don't forget with it's extreme rate of fuel consumption it woulden't have thrust for very long. Also they'd have to modify the shuttle so it has a large internal fuel tank, obviously the standard external fuel tank would get in the way to say the least.

[FlyingPhotog]

Actually the space shuttle flies like a brick. Ahh the things you learned at space camp

If that were the case, how could they glide from the re-entry point all the way to the landing site? Are you saying they fly just based on altitude and forward momentum?

[Dantheman]

When the Shuttle re-enters the atmosphere at 15,000mph, it has tons of momentum. To put things into perspective, remember the fact that it is orbiting the earth at 15,000mph (when it drops into the atmosphere). This means that at re-entry it will have enough momentum to fly it from say anywhere over the South Pacific to California. Also bear in mind that the force of gravity is also playing a part.

With that being said, S turns are made to slow the now-then 100 ton glider before landing.

BTW, are there any pictures available that show the re-entry from inside the shuttle? From what I know, the orange-a-little-greenish plasma surrounds the shuttle during the descent.

[Messerschmitt Man]

Actually the space shuttle flies like a brick. Ahh the things you learned at space camp

For the shuttle the approach to the runway is seven times steeper and twenty times faster than that of an average passenger airliner. It's stall speed therefore must be quite high.

In simple terms the thicker the cross-sectional shape of the aerofoil, the better lifting characteristics experienced. The shuttle's wing area is fairly small and the wing is relatively thin like the concorde. If the shuttle tried to fly approach speeds like that of an airliner, it would drop like a brick as chrisburns said.