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#2
07-04-2006, 08:50 PM
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You betcha.
Actually, the main engines shut down just before tank jettison. From there on, the shuttle is powered by the OMS (Orbital Maneuvering System) engines. Those are the two large "bumps" at the rear of the orbiter fuselage. Each of the two engines produces only 6,000 pounds of thrust, but that's more than enough in a vacuum to accelerate the orbiter the remaining amount, plus orbital maneuvers to the space station (or other target) and then out of orbit again at the end of the mission. The OMS engines burn mono-methyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, which are hypergolic - meaning they self-ignite on contact. The nozzles of the OMS engines are the single largest pure beryllium objects ever made. (I could go on and on with "gee whiz" stuff like that.) Ask away, my friend! It feels like I'm still doing the launch commentary, even though that was 20+ years ago. Time flies even faster than the shuttle, it seems.
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