Our dear friends Sarah and Jeff
Discovery Blast off!
The smoke changing all different colors as the shuttle leaves the atmosphere
Sean and I having so much fun!
Sunday at precisely 7:43 pm the Discovery space shuttle launched to space. It was one of the most fascinating things Sean and I have ever seen. It was absolutely amazing to watch and hear and to think that there was a crew of seven leaving their families to discover the outerspace. So risky, an adventure of a lifetime. Our dear friends, the Mandels, live near Cape Canaveral, where the shuttle was launched. Sean played baseball with Jeff at Baylor and was great friends with him and his wife Sarah. I have truly enjoyed getting to know both of them more. We wish we were on the same team so we could have them around all year. Well as we got closer to the launch, sean researched NASA and all the incredible things about the actual shuttle and space. We trivia was so interesting. Here is some trivia that I thought was crazy:
A. The Space Shuttle Endeavour, the orbiter built to replace the Space Shuttle Challenger, cost approximately $1.7 billion.
Q. What types of propellants are used in the Shuttle? How much do they weigh?
A. At liftoff, an orbiter and External Tank carry 835,958 gallons of the principle liquid propellants: hydrogen, oxygen, hydrazine, monomethylhydrazine, and nitrogen tetroxide. The total weight is 1,607,185 pounds.
Q. How fast does a Shuttle travel? What is its altitude? How much fuel does it use?
A. Like any other object in low-Earth orbit, a Space Shuttle must reach speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour) to remain in orbit. The exact speed depends on the Space Shuttle's orbital altitude, which normally ranges from 190 miles to 330 miles (304 kilometers to 528 kilometers) above sea level, depending on its mission.
1 comment:
so cool! i didn't know you did this!
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