The Space Shuttle program was an important bet for NASA in its plan to conquer space. Before man landed on the moon In the United States, they thought about designing a partially reusable ship. Although it succeeded, the space agency’s costs were so great that in 2011 it decided to shut down the program and scrap four of the six shuttles it had built.
With the growing interest in space travel and the Artemis program on the horizon, some wonder if any space shuttle can be reused. After all, the development of the Space Launch System (the successor to the Space Shuttle) is not going according to plan and has been repeatedly delayed. NASA could use its ships and not be relegated to private companies in the space race, right?
While this sounds logical to some people, the reality is that reactivating the space shuttle is harder than it looks. All four orbiters – Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavor and Enterprise – on display in US museums have undergone modifications and lost components critical to their operation.
What happened to the ferries after the cancellation of the program?
The landing of Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center in July 2011 marked the end of the ambitious space shuttle program. The end of the space shuttle was announced in 2004, so NASA has had plenty of time to determine a retirement plan ensure the safety of the orbiters and their technologies.
Before the STS-135 mission, NASA began the process of decommissioning Discovery and Endeavor. Engineers they removed parts that could be dangeroussuch as Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) and Jet Engine Control System (RCS). The hypergolic OMS engines used methylhydrazine, a highly carcinogenic toxic propellant.
The RS-25 engines used on the orbiters were reused. in the Space Launch System (SLS) and others have been donated to museums. The Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM), developed by the Italian Special Agency, has been upgraded as a permanent module on the International Space Station. This component was the key to transporting cargo into space in all missions of the program.
thousands thermal tilenecessary to protect the fuselage during reentry, were auction in schools. The thermal protection system was one of the most problematic components of the program and was the cause of the 2003 Columbia accident.
Orbiters – a museum attraction
As far as orbiters are concerned, NASA sent them to various US museums.. Discovery, responsible for launching the Hubble Space Telescope, has found a home at the Discovery National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. Atlantis remained at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, while Endeavor went to the ScienCenter Museum in California.
The enterprise is a special case, since although it was the program’s first Space Shuttle, it never flew into space. The orbiter was built without thermal protection and engines, but was used for descent. majority the original parts were reused on other orbiters.so NASA had to rebuild it before shipping it to the Enterprise Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.
Orbiters found in museums there are some important ingredients, like robotic arms and most hotplates. While the engines remained at NASA or are on display separately, the vehicles retained their nozzles.
It will be almost impossible to reactivate the space shuttle
Before decommissioning their shuttles and sending them to museums, NASA considered endeavor continuing airworthiness plan. The space agency was looking for funding $1,500 million complete two missions per year. At that time, it was clear that the managers were in no hurry to cancel the program and were considering the possibility of using one of the shuttles until 2017.
If NASA wanted to send Endeavor into space in 2022, it would not only have to assemble engines, make hotplates, and make payload equipment, to name but a few. I would also need restore information technology equipment and systems was used at the time. Before shutting down the shuttle, the Pentagon destroyed most of the hard drives to prevent confidential information from being leaked.
revive the space shuttle too external factors will be requiredsuch as activating assembly buildings, launch pads, or transportation systems. All of them have already been modified for the SLS program.
Both Boeing 747s that were used to carry the orbiters are on display in museums.
Reactivation of the spacecraft will not only be impossible, but also it will cost a fortune. If any president had the crazy idea to bring back a piece of NASA history, he would be faced with many technical and logistical obstacles. If he got his way, send Endeavor will not give an advantage over Crew Dragon or future Orion.
Source: Hiper Textual
