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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Space_Shuttle
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1992-09-02
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In 1981 NASA launched the first Space
Shuttle, reputed to be the worlds first
reusable spacecraft. The Shuttle leaves the
earth upwright from a launchpad. Attached to
it`s underside is one large fuel tank and
two solid fuel booster rockets. The booster
rockets give the shuttle the extra power it
needs to reach the speed to allow it to
overcome the earths gravity. Within a few
miniutes the booster rockets are jetisoned
and return to earth by PARASHUTE to be
recovered and refurbished for a future
flight. The large fuel tank is jetisoned
after 8 minutes into flight, the shuttle then
takes up ORBIT above the EARTH. The shuttle
is a maned SPACECRAFT which means it is able
to retrieve and carry out repairs on
satellites as well as launching them.
On the 28th January 1986 the space shuttle
Challenger had a terrible accident when just
after take off it exploded killing its
7 crew members. It took NASA two years to
launch another shuttle but has since resumed
normal operation. Probably one of the
shuttles most famous payloads was the
SPACE_TELESCOPE which had to be repaired by a
future mission.
Subject by: Malcolm Pett