畅想未来
A space shuttle lifts off high above the surrounding land in this Aug. 1, 1973, illustration. With 135 missions flown over 30 years, NASA’s shuttle fleet achieved numerous firsts and opened space up to more people than ever before.
Each space shuttle consisted of three major components: the orbiter, which housed the crew, a large external tank that held fuel for the main engines, and two solid rocket boosters that provided most of the shuttle’s lift during the first two minutes of flight. All the components were reused except for the external fuel tank, which burned up in the atmosphere after each launch. The space shuttle was the world’s first reusable spacecraft.
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Image credit: NASA
在这幅1973年8月1日的插图中，一架航天飞机腾空而起，高高飞过周围的陆地。NASA的航天飞机机队在30年间执行了135次任务，创下了无数个第一，并向更多的人开放了太空。
每架航天飞机由三个主要部分组成：载有机组人员的轨道器、储存主发动机燃料的大型外挂燃料箱，以及在飞行前两分钟内提供大部分推力的两个固体火箭助推器。除了每次发射后在大气层中燃烧殆尽的外挂燃料箱外，所有部件均可重复使用。航天飞机是世界上第一个可重复使用的航天器。
影像来源: NASA