The Space Shuttles
Since the Colombia accident space shuttle use is uncertain. Discovery was suscessfully used again in August 2005 but the program does look like it will end soon. The other remaining shuttles are Endevour and Atlantis.
There was also a fifth shuttle orbiter - Challenger, but it exploded 73 seconds after take off on the 28th January 1986. Russia also had a space shuttle program called Boran, but I believe it never really got going.
The space shuttle fleet is used to ferry astronauts and cosmonauts to and from orbiting objects such as: HST (hubble space telescope), ISS (International Space Station), various satillites and previously from the (80's - 21st Century!) Mir.
Click on the above image to see an exploded drawing of a space shuttle that I drew myself.
The Different functional parts of the space shuttles:
1. The nose cone is made of reinforced carbon-carbon. This is an immensely strong material and can withstand temperatures of up to 1,650șC. The nose landing gear is stored in the nose cone during the mission, and is extended only when the orbiter is ready to land.
2. The crew quarters are found here. They contain beds, exercise machines, the Galley and the Waste collection unit.
3. Flight deck. - The crew controls all shuttle functions from the flight deck, which is the highest of the three decks in the crew compartment.
4. Computer control room. - This is where the mission is conducted from whether it be launching a satillite or delivering a crew to a space station.
5. Fuel cells, liquid oxygen tanks and liquid hydrogen tanks. - To generate power for the electrical systems, there is a fuel cell. This makes electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen.
6. The shuttle's payload is kept here. A robotic arm is also kept here to take out satillites etc.
7. Smart system. - The reaction control system (RCS) makes small changes in the position of the orbiter. There are 44 small rocket engines in the RCS, and they are fired by the autopilot. Tiny engines called vernier thrusters fine tune space manoeuvres.
8. The crew use these wings to direct the space shuttle to the ground.
9. Vertical stabilizer. - Like the fin of an aircraft, the vertical stabilizer keeps the shuttle on course in the Earth's atmosphere, and helps it to steer.
10. Orbital manoeuvring system (OMS) engines. - The crew fire the OMS engines to make major changes to the orbiters speed and direction in space.
11. Main engine nozzles. - Burning liquid hydrogen and oxygen in these nozzles gives the orbiter the power it needs to lift off into space. After lift off these engines are not used again in the mission.