Table of Contents
What elements are used to make a spaceship?
This is why Aluminum and aluminum composite materials are used on spacecraft. Aluminum is light but also very sturdy. Using titanium alloys can also strengthen the body of the ship. The space shuttle also had very special thermal protection tiles, which helped it survive the heat of re-entry.
What does a spacecraft contain?
A spacecraft has a number of essential components, such as an engine, power subsystem, steering system and communications system, in addition to science instruments. Most of these systems are housed in a section called the service module, while the science instruments make up the payload module.
What are spacecraft systems?
Spacecraft Systems. A spacecraft is any piloted or unpiloted vehicle designed for travel in space. The systems and instruments a spacecraft must carry depends upon the data it will gather and the functions it will carry out. Their complexity varies greatly but all must endure the hostile environment of space.
What are spaceships controlled by?
In the past, spacecraft were sometimes controlled by a combination of ground control and astronauts on board, like on Apollo 13. In cases where there are no astronauts, or the mission was longer, further, or more risky, spaceships were controlled by ground controllers at Mission Control.
What is needed for space exploration?
Astronauts must have oxygen, food, water, and rest. Spacecrafts carry their own sources of oxygen and nitrogen. These gases are circulated throughout the spacecraft to provide similar air to the one we breathe on Earth. Astronauts must also carry their entire food supply when they travel to space.
What is a spacecraft used for?
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, planetary exploration, and transportation of humans and cargo.
Why are space shuttles important?
The space shuttle did many things. It could carry up to seven astronauts at a time. It took satellites to space so they could orbit Earth. The shuttle carried large parts into space to build the International Space Station.
What is a spacecraft built to do?
What are the different parts of a spacecraft?
A spacecraft has a number of essential components, such as an engine, power subsystem, steering system and communications system, in addition to science instruments. Most of these systems are housed in a section called the service module, while the science instruments make up the payload module.
Why do different spacecrafts have different voltages?
Different spacecraft units may require different voltages. Some spacecraft have central units to convert and stabilise the ‘raw’ voltage produced by the solar array before it is distributed, while for others the conversion happens within the units.
What is a spacecraft payload module?
Most of these systems are housed in a section called the service module, while the science instruments make up the payload module. These are encased inside the spacecraft’s main structural unit and connected by a ‘harness’, the electrical framework on which the spacecraft electronics systems communicate.
How do satellites communicate with each other?
These are encased inside the spacecraft’s main structural unit and connected by a ‘harness’, the electrical framework on which the spacecraft electronics systems communicate. The propulsion system that a satellite carries is dictated by the orbital position that it needs to reach and by the type of mission.