Facts & Figures
| Orbiter Fleet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Vehicle Number | Rollout | Flights as of May 2009 | First Flight |
| Discovery | OV-103 | 1983 | 36 | 1984 |
| Atlantis | OV-104 | 1985 | 29 | 1985 |
| Endeavour | OV-105 | 1991 | 22 | 1992 |
LENGTH
- System: 184.2 ft
- Orbiter: 122.17 ft.
- External Tank: 153.8 ft.
- Solid Rocket Boosters: 149.16 ft.
HEIGHT
- System: 76.6 ft.
- Orbiter: 56.58 ft
ORBITER WINGSPAN: 78.06 ft.
GROSS LIFT-OFF WEIGHT: 4.5 million lbs.
ORBITER DRY WEIGHT (WITH 3 MAIN ENGINES): Ranges from 176,056 lbs. to 181,218 lbs., depending on shuttle
EXTERNAL TANK, INERT/FULL: 59,400 lbs - 1,658,900 lbs.
EACH SRB AT LAUNCH: 1,298,500 lbs.
- SRB Inert Weight (Each): 186,800 lbs.
THRUST
- SRBs(2): 3,300,000 lbs. Thrust each in vacuum
- Main Engines (3): 393,800 lbs. Thrust each at sea level at 104 percent
CARGO BAY: 60 ft. long, 15 ft. diameter
PERFORMANCE
- Payload For: 54,000 lbs.*
- 160 NMI Orbit
- Due East (28.5°): (Endeavour, Atlantis)
HIGH INCLINATION (51.6°): 36,200 lbs.* (Endeavour, Atlantis)
*Includes manager's reserve, payload attach hardware and flight support equipment.
Space Shuttle Main Engine: The SSME is a reusable, stage-combustion cycle engine using liquid hydrogen fuel to achieve high performance. The SSMEs have achieved 100 percent flight success and a demonstrated reliability of more than 0.999.
PERFORMANCE
Block IIA SSME (full-power level)
MAXIMUM THRUST (109% Power Level):
- At Sea Level: 417,975 lbs.
- In Vacuum: 512,264 lbs.
THROTTLE RANGE: 67% - 109%
PRESSURES:
- Hydrogen Pump Discharge: 6,069 psia
- Oxygen Pump Discharge: 7,267 psia
- Chamber Pressure: 2,994 psia
SPECIFIC IMPULSE (In Vacuum): 452.1 sec.
POWER: HIGH PRESSURE PUMPS:
- Hydrogen: 68,660 hp
- Oxygen: 24,900 hp
AREA RATIO: 69:1
WEIGHT: 7,480 lbs.
MIXTURE RATIO: (O/F) 6.03:1
DIMENSIONS:
- Length: 168 in.
- Width: 96 in.
PROPELLANTS
- Fuel: Liquid Hydrogen
- Oxidizer: Liquid Oxygen
For more information, review the Space Shuttle Facts and Statistics.