Page 28 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

NOTE: Fve complete Shuttle systems were built and used on a total of
135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The Space Shuttle was retired from service upon the conclusion of Atlantis’s final flight on July 21, 2011. The U.S. has since relied primarily on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to transport supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station.
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The protective materials are of several kinds. In
places where the heat buildup is least intense (370°C), such as on the main fuselage, a felt thermal blanket is enough. It is the lightest weight material. But where
the temperatures rise to 650°C, silica tiles have to be employed. And in the most extreme areas, where the temperatures rise to 1,300°C, silica glass-fiber composite tiles are used. Reinforced carbon tiles (black) cover the small areas where temperatures exceed even this.
 Drag parachute designed to help brake the orbiter on return to the runway.
Orbiter nose lifted to allow for normal landing (speed about 430 km/hr).
Speed about
600 km/hr. 20 km from touchdown.
Very steep descent, seven times steeper than a passenger jetliner’s approach.