什麼是太空梭

正式名稱為太空運輸系統（Space Transportation System; STS）

由美國國家航空暨太空總署（NAsa）研製的進入地球軌道，為地球和軌道運行航天器運送人員和貨物，並能滑翔回地面着陸的可部分重複使用的火箭助推的運載機。1981年首次將太空梭送進軌道的飛行。這架飛機由一個裝載人員和貨物的有翼軌道飛行器、一個供軌道飛行器、三台主火箭引擎使用的液體燃料和氧化劑的可耗盡外貯箱、兩個可重複使用的大型固體推進劑集束器組成。飛行器像可耗盡的發動工具一樣垂直髮射升空，但以類似滑翔機的無動力方式降落。每個飛行器設計為可以重複使用一百次。為了處理飛行器外面的貨物和其他材料，太空人使用可遠端控制的機器人手臂或穿着太空服走出飛行器。執行某些任務時，飛行器要在它的貨物艙帶着一種稱為太空實驗室的歐洲人創造的加壓研究設施。在1981年和1985年，有四架軌道飛行器進行了服務，它們是「哥倫比亞號」（第一架進入軌道的）、「挑戰者號」、「發現者號」和「亞特蘭提斯號」。1995～1998年間，美國國家航空暨太空總署執行了將飛行器送入俄國「和平號太空站」為國際太空站（ISS）的建立做準備的使命。從1998年開始，飛行器廣泛用來運送元件、補給和乘員到國際太空站。

space shuttle

Partially reusable rocket-launched vehicle developed by NASA to go into earth orbit, transport people and cargo between earth and orbiting spacecraft, and glide to a runway landing on earth. The first flight of a space shuttle into orbit took place in 1981. The shuttle consists of a winged orbiter that carries crew and cargo; an expendable external tank of liquid fuel and oxidizer for the orbiter's three main rocket engines; and two large, reusable solid-propellant booster rockets. The orbiter lifts off vertically like an expendable launch vehicle but makes an unpowered descent similar to a glider. Each orbiter was designed to be reused up to 100 times. For manipulating cargo and other materials outside the orbiter, astronauts use a remotely controlled robot arm or exit the orbiter wearing spacesuits. On some missions, the shuttle carries a European-built pressurized research facility called Spacelab in its cargo bay. Between 1981 and 1985, four shuttle orbiters were put into service: Columbia (the first in orbit), Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Challenger exploded in 1986, killing all seven astronauts aboard; it was replaced in 1992 by Endeavour. In 1995-98, NASA conducted shuttle missions to the Russian space station Mir to prepare for the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). Beginning in 1998, the shuttle was used extensively to ferry components, supplies, and crews to the ISS.