Editing Space Transportation System (STS)

The '''Space Transportation System (STS)''', also known as space shuttle, was developed by [[NASA]] as a meant to move both crew and cargo into [[low earth orbit]].  

At launch the space shuttle was attached to an ET (external tank) and two SRB (solid rocket booster).

The SRB jettison at 126 seconds in-flight and fall back down to earth where they would be picked up and refurbished for another launch.

The STS Orbiter was the primary component of the STS and the only part of the STS stack, which reached orbit. It was a mixture between spacecraft and aircraft, landing as a glider after a long lifting reentry.

The OMS would provide propulsion for the orbiter during the orbit phase of flight. The OMS wass used for orbit insertion, orbit circularization, orbit transfer, rendezvous, and deorbit. The OMS may be used to provide thrust above 70,000 feet altitude. Each OMS pod could provide more than 1,000 pounds of propellant to the RCS. Amounts available for interconnect depend on loading and number of OMS starts during the mission.

The OMS was housed in two independent pods on each side of the orbiter’s aft fuselage. The pods,

which also housed the aft reaction control system (RCS), are referred to as the OMS/RCS pods.

Each pod contained one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store, and

distribute the propellants to perform OMS engine burns. Normally, OMS maneuvers were

done using both OMS engines together; however, a burn could be performed using only

one of the OMS engines. For velocity changes less than 6 fps (2 m/s), RCS was used. For velocity

changes greater than 6 fps, a single OMS engine burn was preferred, because engine lifetime

concerns make it desirable to minimize engine starts. Two OMS engines were used for large

velocity changes, or for critical burns. Propellant from one pod could be fed to the

engine in the other pod through crossfeed lines that connected the left and right OMS pods.

The OMS had important interfaces with the data processing system and the electrical power

system. The OMS valves and gimbal actuators received commands, and the system returned some

power was supplied to the OMS through main buses, control buses, and alternating current

The OMS/RCS pods were designed to be reused for up to 100 missions with only minor repair,

refurbishment, and maintenance. The pods were removable to facilitate orbiter turnaround,

The OMS engines were designated left and right, descriptive of location. The engines were located in gimbal mounts that allow the engine to pivot left and right and up and down under the control of two electromechanical actuators. This gimbal system provided for vehicle steering during OMS burns by controlling the direction of the engine thrust in pitch and yaw (thrust vector control) in response to commands from the digital autopilot or from the manual controls.

The OMS engines could be used singularly by directing the thrust vector through the orbiter center of gravity or together by directing the thrust vector of both engines parallel to the X axis. During a two-OMS-engine burn, the RCS would come into operation only if the attitude or

attitude rate limits are exceeded. However, during a one-OMS-engine burn, RCS roll control was required.  

Each of the two OMS engines produced 6,000 pounds of thrust (26.7 kN). For a typical orbiter weight, both engines together would create an acceleration of approximately 2 ft/sec² or 0.06 g’s. Using up a fully loaded tank, the OMS could provide a total velocity change of approximately 1,000 ft/sec (304.8 m/s). Orbital insertion burns and deorbit burns each typically required a velocity change of about 100–500 ft/sec. The velocity change required for orbital adjustment is approximately 2 ft/sec (0.61 m/s) for each nautical mile of altitude change. Each OMS engines were capable of 1,000 starts and 15 hours of cumulative firing. The minimum duration of an OMS engine firing wass 2 seconds.

The OMS engines used monomethyl hydrazine as the fuel and nitrogen tetroxide as the oxidizer.

each other; therefore, no ignition device is needed. Both propellants remained liquid at the

temperatures normally experienced during a mission, however, electrical heaters wre located

orbit when the system was not in use.  

Each OMS engine had a gaseous nitrogen tank that would provided pressurized nitrogen to operate the engine valves. The OMS engine would not have propellant pumps; propellant flow to the

engines was maintained by pressurizing the propellant tanks with helium.

In the OMS engine, fuel was burned with oxidizer to produce thrust. The major elements of the

OMS engine were the bipropellant valve assembly, the injector plate, the thrust chamber, and the nozzle.

The [[Propellant|propellants]] ignite on contact, so theoretically the OMS engines could get ignited as often as desired, but the number of restarts were limited by the supply of N₂ used for operating the valves and purging the fuel lines of the engines, which was only enough for ten restarts.

*[[Shuttle Fleet]], a collection of the whole vehicle fleet, by David413.

[[Category:Historic spacecraft]]

[[Category:Manned space program]]