Descriptionary

entry

the reentry of the shuttle into Earth's atmo­sphere.

EvA

extravehicular activity; activities carried out by crew outside a pressurized compartment, where spacesuits are needed.

flame trench

the concrete pit located under a launchpad; it directs rocket flame away from the spacecraft.

flare

to pitch the spacecraft nose up to reduce speed for landing.

flying brick

the nickname for the shuttle.

g

the force of gravity; 1 g equals the gravity of Earth; 5 g's equal five times the gravity of Earth, and so on.

geosynchronous orbit

an orbit that stays in sync with the earth's rotation, 22,300 miles above the equator.

gimbal

an apparatus having ball joints to allow movement in several directions, as a rocket nozzle.

glide slope

the landing approach.

Goddard Space Flight Center

the center in Green- belt, Maryland, that operates and maintains the space flight tracking and data network.

hypergolic propellants

propellants such as nitrogen tetroxide and monomethylhydrazine that ignite on contact with one another.

hypersonic

exceeding five times the speed of sound; above Mach 5.

Kennedy Space Center

the launching base for the shuttle, located in Cape Canaveral Florida.

LOX

acronym for liquid oxygen.

Lyndon Johnson Space Center

located near Hous­ton, Texas, the center that designs, develops, and tests spacecraft, selects and trains astronauts, and plans missions.

Mach

a term denoting the speed of sound; for example, Mach 2 is twice the speed of sound, Mach 3 is three times the speed of sound.

microgravity

the near-zero gravity experienced while in orbit above Earth.

micrometeoroids

tiny meteor particles the size of sand grains, known to erode the exterior of the shut­tle on impact.

mission specialist

a specialist or expert on the shut­tle's payload or scientific mission.

mission station

a station on the aft flight deck, where payload operations are carried out.

orbiter

the shuttle.

payload changeout room

a launchpad room where payload is loaded into the shuttle cargo bay.

pilot

the second in command of a flight after the commander.

pitch

up-and-down rotational movement of the nose.

remote manipulator system

in the cargo bay, a large mechanical arm used to retrieve or deploy satellites.

retro rocket

a rocket that fires in the opposite direc­tion of the shuttle's flight, to slow momentum.

roll

an inflight rolling motion of the shuttle along its axis.

rudder

a movable surface on the tail to control yaw. Also known as the speed brake.

solid rocket boosters

the two solid-propellant rock­ets that lift the shuttle up to an altitude of 25 miles and then are jettisoned.

spacelab

a modular laboratory in the orbiter, used by mission specialists to conduct experiments.

speed brake

a split and spread rudder that increases drag and slows the shuttle during the landing phase.

telemetry

shuttle flight mission data transmitted to Earth.

umbilical

an electrical and life support cable attached to an astronaut when working outside the shuttle while in orbit.

uplink

radio transmission from Earth to the shuttle.

vernier engine

an engine providing slight thrust for small changes in shuttle position.

vertical stabilizer the tail.

window

a period of time within which a mission must be launched or concluded.

yaw

left-right rotation of the nose.

Shuttle Acronyms

ADI

attitude direction indicator.

A/G

air-to-ground.

AMI

alpha-Mach indicator.

APU

auxiliary power unit.

CSS

control stick steering.

DCM

displays and controls module.

EMU

extravehicular mobility unit.

EvA

extravehicular activity.

HSI

horizontal situation indicator.

IUS

inertial upper stage.

IvA

intravehicular activity.

LCC

launch control center.

LOS

loss of signal.

MCC

Mission Control Center.

MCC-H

Mission Control Center, Houston.

MET

mission elapsed time.

MLP

mobile launcher platform.

MMU

manned maneuvering unit.

OMS

orbital maneuvering system.

OPF

orbiter processing facility.

PAM

payload assist module.

PLSS

portable life support system.

RCS

reaction control system.

RMS

remote manipulator system.

SCAPE

self-contained atmospheric pressure ensemble.

SOMS

shuttle orbiter medical system. SRB solid rocket booster. SSME space shuttle main engine. SSUS spinning solid upper stage. tacan tactical air navigation. TDRS tracking and data relay satellite. TPS thermal protection system. WCS waste collection system.

trains and railroads

bank

grade.

berth

bed in a sleeping car.

bogies

the wheeled trucks on which railroad cars ride.

boxcar

the enclosed, boxlike freight car.