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The Space
Shuttle is a reusable spacecraft designed to lift payloads into |
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orbit and
glide back to earth. It consists of the aircraft-like orbiter, the |
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external fuel
tank which supplies the liquid hydrogen fuel to the orbiter's |
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three main
rocket engines, and two solid rocket boosters (not shown). The |
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model
pictured here shows the stage in the launch when the orbiter is |
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rocketing
skyward still attached to the external fuel tank after the two empty |
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solid rocket
boosters have been jettisoned. About nine minutes after lift off |
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the external
fuel tank is also jettisoned leaving the orbiter free to rocket |
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itself into
final orbit. |
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Page 1 -
Space shuttle assembly instructions |
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