The Space Shuttle is an amazing piece of technology. It is made up of an orbiter, two rockets, and
a large fuel tank. NASA designed the shuttle in the 1960s because it wanted a cheaper way to
deliver people and cargo to space stations. At the time, it was using rockets to travel to space.
Rockets could only be used one time and they were very expensive.
The orbiter is probably the most complex part of the space shuttle. It looks like an airplane and
has large wings. It carries six to eight crew members and it is 37 meters long and about 24 meters
wide from the tip of one wing to the other. It has a large area behind the cockpit for carrying
different payloads. It also has heat shields on the bottom to protect the shuttle and crew from
high temperatures as they return to Earth.
NASA eventually constructed six orbiters. The first one ever built was named Enterprise. It made
its first test flight on August 12, 1977. The engineers at NASA made several design changes
because of this flight. As a result, Enterprise never flew into space. The first space shuttle
orbiter to go into space was named Columbia. It first launched on April 12, 1981.
The technology that makes the shuttle work is impressive. The engines are extremely fast and
they have 400,000 pounds of thrust. Four computers help the pilot fly the shuttle. An extra
computer can help in case of emergencies. The software on the computers, called PASS, is very
complex and helps the crew operate the shuttle. Also, the cargo bay has a special mechanical
“arm” (nicknamed the “Canadarm”) that can lift big objects like satellites and put them into
space. Finally, the design of the shuttle makes it a good flying machine. It can even glide
for a little while without engine power.