Liftoff!
On Orbit Ops

Shuttle launch

What kinds of activities are done in space?  If you were an astronaut on board the shuttle, what kinds of experiments would you be working on?  This lesson will cover some of the on-orbit operations that are done on the space shuttle as it travels in low-Earth orbit. Some of the questions you will answer in this lesson include:

If you were the shuttle pilot, how would you maneuver the spacecraft to the proper orbit in space to dock with the space station or to retrieve a faulty satellite? 

  • How are you trained to become an astronaut?

  • How do you feel in a weightless environment?

  • What types of research are done in microgravity?

  • What is a typical spacewalk like?

  • What different benefits have we received from the Space Shuttle Program for life here on Earth?

  • What was the goal of the Shuttle-Mir Program?

Chapters in this lesson include:
 
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Next...  Orbital Mechanics 101