Facts about the Space Shuttle
- 09
Ninety-five Space Shuttle missions flew between 1981 and 2011, delivering the Hubble Space Telescope, constructing the International Space Station, and conducting scientific experiments across 355 total days in orbit.
- 08
Landing from orbit, Space Shuttle orbiters experienced temperatures reaching 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit on their nose cone and leading wing edges during the fiery 30-minute reentry through Earth's atmosphere.
- 07
Five Space Shuttle orbiters were built between 1976 and 1991, with Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour each designed for approximately 100 reusable missions.
- 06
Two solid rocket boosters attached to the Space Shuttle's external tank each produced 3.3 million pounds of thrust during the first two minutes of launch.
- 05
Orbiter cargo bay doors spanned 60 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing the Space Shuttle to carry up to 65,000 pounds of payload to low Earth orbit.
- 04
Each Space Shuttle main engine produced 418,000 pounds of thrust and burned 500,000 pounds of propellant during the eight-minute ascent to orbit.
- 03
Reusable thermal protection tiles on the Space Shuttle orbiter numbered over 24,000 individual silica-based pieces to withstand temperatures exceeding 1,200 degrees Celsius during atmospheric reentry.
- 02
Columbia's first orbital flight in 1981 lasted 54.5 hours and completed 36 orbits around Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base.
- 01
At 122,500 pounds, the Space Shuttle orbiter weighed roughly equivalent to 15 elephants despite carrying seven astronauts to orbit.