On 8th of July NASA space shuttle reached his 30th anniversary by blasting off for his 135th and last mission "STS-135 launch of Atlantis”. Four astronauts - Chris Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus are taking the part in this 12-day mission. After his last flight, space shuttle will become a part of the museum and serve their rest of life as a showpiece on public display.
Check out the top 10 facts of NASA space shuttle to relive its history:
1) Too Fast
Space shuttle has a speed of about 17,500 miles (28,000 kilometers) per hour while traveling in the orbit. This speed enables the crew to see a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes.
2) Height and Weight
The Statue of Liberty and the space shuttle share the same height, but space shuttle weight is approximately three times more than the Statue of Liberty.
3) Traveled Distance
The space shuttle almost travels 1.3 times the distance between Earth and Jupiter that is 513.7 million miles (826.7 million km).
4) Food
The food for astronauts in the Space Shuttle is consisting of: peanut butter, fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, beef, and spaghetti. This food is packed in special packing that saves the food to fly from flying in the space.
5) Accidents
Space shuttle suffered two deadly accidents in which 14 astronauts and 2 orbiters were killed.
6) Cost
The cost of a single space shuttle flight is about $1.45 billion, and it was the main reason that forced the NASA to make 9 flights a year instead of 50 flights.
7) Engine
Space shuttle’s engine has a horsepower of as much as 39 train engines horsepower, but its weight is about one-seventh of a train engine.
8) Longest Stay
Columbia has a record of longest stay in the space with 17 days in 1996. But, unfortunately it was destroyed in 2003 during its flight number 28th.
9) Heat Shield
The heat shield of space shuttle contains more than 30,000 tiles that are constructed essentially of sand. Heat shield also known as Thermal Protection System.
10) Tweeting from Space
Astronaut Michael J. Massimino who was the member of the space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 mission tweeted from the space and became the first person to use the Twitter in space.
His status was "From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!" (@Astro_Mike)
