Teacher's Desk Shuttle Aeronautics Fact Sheet Label Vocabulary Word Search Crossword Dot-to-Dot Phases Aeronautics Glide Slope Carry Control Woman's Work Cmdr Collins

Student Mathematics Activity: Carry That Weight Student Background The orbiter must travel through more than 60 miles of the Earth's atmosphere to reach space. The total weight of the orbiter, its crew, payload, fuel tanks, rocket fuel and other miscellaneous items must not be greater than the amount of thrust it would take to propel it to an orbit just outside the thermosphere. Using mathematical calculations, rocket researchers have been able to determine just how much thrust is needed to launch a certain amount of weight. With a fully loaded orbiter and fuel tanks, it takes 5 million pounds of thrust to launch the orbiter into space. To determine this amount of thrust NASA must consider the weight of every item being taken on each mission. The approximate weight of each item is listed in the chart below. Space Shuttle Mission Weight Chart Item Description Weight (in kilograms) Orbiter (empty) 43,092 Payload (standard maximum weight) 24,948 External Tank (full) 750,980 Solid Rocket Booster (each) 589,670 (x2 = ) 1,179,340 Other: Crew members (3-10) Additional fuel for use during mission Liquids & gases for electrical production & environmental conditioning 14,850 Student Math Activity: Carry That Weight Student Math Activity: Carry That Weight - Key Let's Convert Let's Convert - Key Teacher Conversion Hints