How did the space shuttle stay balanced?

The shuttle had her own engines and she used thrust vectoring (moving the rocket nozzel or jet around to change direction) to keep balenceing in the air. Also the space shuttles were precisely balenced in a certain way to avoid problems such as excess torque from various sources so less thrust vectoring wad nesasary.

Why does the space shuttle not go straight up?

Rockets have to tilt to the side as they travel into the sky in order to reach orbit, or a circular path of motion around the Earth. This steering technique is known as a gravity turn, which uses Earth’s gravity to help conserve rocket fuel and minimize stress and strain on the spacecraft.

Was the space shuttle flawed?

It failed in the goal of achieving reliable access to space, partly due to multi-year interruptions in launches following Shuttle failures. Two out of the five spacecraft were destroyed in accidents, killing 14 astronauts, the largest loss of life in space exploration.

How is the space shuttle attached to the launch pad?

The MLP is anchored to steel columns on the pad surface and connected to the rest of the pad complex. The MLP holds the shuttle stack with eight bolts that are blown apart at the same time the boosters ignite to allow the shuttle to soar into space.

How fast does a Space Shuttle go to leave Earth?

A spacecraft leaving the surface of Earth, for example, needs to be going about 11 kilometers (7 miles) per second, or over 40,000 kilometers per hour (25,000 miles per hour), to enter orbit. Achieving escape velocity is one of the biggest challenges facing space travel.

Can the Space Shuttle leave Earth orbit?

No, the Space Shuttle is designed to travel in low-Earth orbit (within a few hundred miles of the Earth’s surface). It does not carry enough propellant to leave Earth’s orbit and travel to the Moon.

How do rockets stay upright on launch pad?

A gyro senses when the rocket is beginning to tip one way and a control system steers the thrust to correct for that and push the rocket back up straight. As the rocket goes faster, small control surfaces on fins may be used to correct the rocket attitude.

What are launch pads made out of?

A launch pad is where rockets and spacecraft are placed until they are ready to blast off. NASA has its own launch pads for its spacecraft. Launch pads are often made out of steel reinforced concrete. Launch pads for larger spacecraft will often have towers to support it during its launch.