SPACE SHUTTLE Fact Sheet
Written and Edited by Cliff Lethbridge

Space Shuttle Brief

Classification: Orbiter Vehicle

The Space Shuttle is the core vehicle in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Transportation System (STS) program. Although the most familiar elements of the Space Shuttle program are the named Orbiters, the Space Shuttle is actually a combination of four elements.

These elements are the Orbiter, the External Tank (ET), the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) and the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME). The Space Shuttle cannot function unless all four of these elements are working properly.

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