How much gas is stored in one space ship/shuttle?

[science_man]

Hello, I just wanted to know... How many gallons of gas do you store in a typical space ship? Since the gas prices are poping up so high how would you manage to continue your space journies?

 

[drwayne]

Not to worry, no gasoline is used in the shuttle.<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

I wonder if my Honda would run on nitrogen tetroxide?<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

I have a V32768... Gas milage is rotten. 400k HP, though... i'm not complaining. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Hello, I just wanted to know... How many gallons of gas do you store in a typical space ship? Since the gas prices are poping up so high how would you manage to continue your space journies?<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />How much propellant a space ship requires depends on how big it is, how much it has to change its velocity, what kind of propellant it is using, and what kind of engine it's got. The lion's share of the propellant is expended by the spacecraft's booster during launch. These propellants are frequently made from crude oil, just like gasoline is. So they are affected by the cost of oil. However, the propellant is not the most expensive part, and the system and its mission are so expensive that the cost of propellant is not generally the major limiting factor in a mission.<br /><br />The Space Shuttle has several kinds of propellant on board at launch. The twin solid rocket boosters strapped to the sides, which burn for the first two and a half minutes and are then jettisoned, burn a mixture of ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer), aluminum (fuel), and iron oxide (catalyst). The solid propellant also contains a polymer and an epoxy which hold the stuff together. The total mass of the propellant in an SRB before launch is 1,100,000 pounds. Nearly all of that will be consumed during the two and half minutes of burn time; only trace amounts will remain in the SRB casing after it is retrieved. I'm not sure what the volume of this propellant is, so I can't express it in gallons.<br /><br />The biggest collection of propellant in the Space Shuttle system is in the External Tank. This supplies fuel and oxidizer to the SSMEs (Space Shuttle Main Engines) throughout the 8+ minutes of ascent, after which the tank is jettisoned. There are actually two tanks in the ET. The forward tank contains the oxidizer: liquid oxygen. It has a volume of 19,563 cubic feet, but may not be fully loaded; actual loading ma <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[pizzaguy]

Was that last post by Calli or Shuttle Guy? <img src="/images/icons/crazy.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1"><em>Note to Dr. Henry:  The testosterone shots are working!</em></font> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>The Orbiter also has propellant on board, for the OMS (Orbiter Maneuvering System) and RCS (Reaction Control System) engines. The two OMS engines are the smaller engine bells at the aft end of the vehicle in pods adjacent to the three big SSMEs. They are the most powerful engines the Orbiter uses in orbit, and it uses them primarily to adjust its orbit and to deorbit at the end of the mission. The RCS is used for attitude control (turning the vehicle in the three axes: pitch, roll, and yaw). Both systems use the same hypergolic propellant mixture: monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. (Hypergolic means that the two chemicals will ignite spontaneously on contact.) The actual amount of propellant will be determined by the mission's requirements. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />The OMS system is probably also needed to convert the suborbital trajectory that the shuttle leaves the ET on into a true orbit. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[pioneer0333]

Another question you brought out in me is this. How much oxygen is needed for the ISS crew to survive for the "months" that they stay in orbit? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Was that last post by Calli or Shuttle Guy?<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />By me. I like reading the Shuttle News Reference Manual. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> (Note: I think the manual may be out of date; some of the figures may have changed.) <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>