Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

494

space shuttle

Between 1981 and 2010,

us space shuttles made more

than 130 flights to earth orbit,

carrying a crew of several

astronauts. they took off like

rockets, but landed like

aircraft. each shuttle had a

cargo bay large enough for a

satellite. two shuttles were

destroyed in accidents—

Challenger in 1986 and

Columbia in 2003.

space rocket

spacecraft are carried

into space by launch

vehicles, or rockets. the

launch rocket consists of

several parts called stages,

each with its own rocket

engine. each stage breaks

away as it uses up its fuel,

eventually leaving only the

spacecraft to fly in space.

spacecraft that return to

earth use a small engine

to slow them down until

they fall out of orbit.

orion spacecraft

the orion spacecraft is expected to take

its first astronauts into space in the near

future. it is nasa’s replacement for the

space shuttle and will be launched by a

the us’s space launch system (sls)

rocket. at first, it will be used to go to

and from the international space

station. later it may take astronauts to

the moon or Mars.

until the Middle of last century, stories about space flight were

found only in science fiction books. today, rockets blast off regularly.

they place satellites in earth orbit, send astronauts and cargo to the

international space station, and launch spacecraft to explore the

solar system. space flight became a reality after the development of

powerful rocket engines, capable of giving a spacecraft or satellite the

speed it needs to reach earth orbit. for its journey from earth into space,

a spacecraft is attached to the top of a launch vehicle (rocket), which is

powered by rocket engines and carries huge amounts of fuel. the

exploration of the solar system is one of the most exciting aspects of space

flight. humans have only traveled as far as the moon, a journey of just

three days. however, robotic spacecraft have traveled for years to explore

the distant planets, sending back to us amazing images and information

collected by their cameras and instruments.

Space flight 494-

soyuz spacecraft

the russian soyuz

spacecraft can carry three

cosmonauts. it is launched

on a rocket and is used to ferry

people to and from the international

space station. the habitable parts

are the orbital module and the

descent module. the cosmonauts

travel back to earth in the descent

module. the orbital and service

modules separate from the

descent module and burn

up in the atmosphere.

Fuel storage

Solar panels

generate power

The Ariane series of

rockets have been

widely used by the

ESA (European

Space Agency).

This module has a

toilet, communication

equipment, and storage

space for astronauts.

Descent

module

The astronauts sit

elbow to elbow during

launch and return.

Orbital Module

Service

module

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