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Space Shuttle: Difference between revisions
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→Ascent structural and aerodynamical limits
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This is a heat load limit for the external tank insulation, if the thermal protection of the ET fails, it will explode. | This is a heat load limit for the external tank insulation, if the thermal protection of the ET fails, it will explode. | ||
== The Shuttle in orbit == | |||
For maneuvering in orbit, the OV is equipped with three RCS thruster clusters and the two OMS engines. The propellant for these systems is monomethylhydrazine (MMH) oxydized with dinitrogen tetroxide, resulting in a specific impulse of 312 s. This is an hypergolic fuel combination (i.e. ignites automatically). OMS and RCS tanks have an interconnect valve, however only the RCS can be fired from the OMS propellant reserves, not vice versa (currently not modeled). | |||
The OMS engines are located at the rear of the spacecraft in pods attached to the fuselage. Two of the RCS clusters are attached to the OMS pods, one is located at the spacecraft nose. | |||
=== The OMS engines === | |||
The two OMS engines provide a thrust of 6,000 lb and, using the propellant reserves of 7,773 lb of nitrogen tetrozide and 4,718 lb of MMH can induce a total velocity change of about 1000 ft/sec if all propellant is spent. Typically half of this is used to push the OV into a proper orbit after ET separation and for the de-orbit burn, the rest is available for orbital maneuvers such as inclination adjustments. | |||
== Glossary of acronyms == | == Glossary of acronyms == | ||