why do shuttle have wings but rocket dont?

Answer 1

because u drive a shuttle, and the rocket just takes the shuttle where it needs to go, then lets it go

Answer 2

The shuttle actually doesn't need wings.

The shuttle was originally going to do a lot of work for the Department of Defence, both in lofting classified military payloads and in overflight reconnaisance. One of the proposed mission profiles would see the shuttle launched into an orbit over the polar regions and return to ground after a single orbit. The problem with this is that as the shuttle orbits the Earth turns under it, so after one orbit the shuttle would no longer be able to get to the landing strip. It was therefore necessary to give it a high degree of manoeuvrability once it re-entered the atmosphere in order that it could glide 'cross-range' and make it to the landing area at the cape. The only way to do that was to give it a delta wing shape.

Before the first shuttle flew, the DoD withdrew a lot of its requirements, including the single polar orbit flights for which the wings had been required. By that time the shuttle was already well-advanced in production and it was too late to delete the wings. The result is that the shuttle has wings which give it a good deal of manoeuvrability once it is back in the atmosphere, but it doesn't actually need the degree of manoeuvrability it has because the missions requiring it were never flown.

A rocket doesn't need wings because it is not necessary to have them. The wings on the shuttle orbiter are exclusively for use after re-entry, and the rocket is on a one-way trip out of the atmosphere.

Answer 3

the shuttle is a reusable aircraft.. it is a glider actually.. during launch, the shuttle uses all its fuel and there wont be anymore left during re-entry.. so it does need wings..

rockets do not need wings as it has to travel facing upwards..
but modern rockets, no matter big or small, has wings. at least small ones at the tip..

this is because the wing can make sure the rocket travel exactly the direction it is supposed to..

you might wonder, if it travels only upwards, why does it need to adjust its direction. this is because the rocket can be blown away by high velocity wind at high altitude or storm..

Answer 4

An airplane flies using its wings, but of course, not in the same way as a bird. It is hard to explain without a diagram. As the airplane flies, the air under the wings runs faster than the air above the wings. This difference has the effect that the airplane is lifted, goes up. It is this effect, more than the propulsion of the jets, what keeps an airplane on the air. Of course, the shape of the wings, the weight of the plane, the speeds of the winds have all to be within certain boundaries for the airplane to fly.

There are many space vehicles, some with wings, some without. Whether to include wings is a design consideration, based on what the vehicle will find and costs. It is easier to design a vehicle that goes on sheer propulsion. Such vehicle is quite expensive, so wings can be used to propel and to reduce costs. Still, the wings add complexity to the design, greater risk of failure. The designer has to weight the factors involved. In general, for low weights, it makes sense to go with propulsion alone. As the weight goes up, to also use wings is more desirable. After certain weight, it is mandatory to use wings.

Answer 5

Wings are only useful on spaceship landings, not spaceship liftoffs. (In fact, their weight and drag make liftoff harder!) Most rockets are not reusable and are not designed to land, so wings were never considered for them.

Even for reusable spaceships, wings are not required. Soyuz and Apollo capsules were designed to be salvageable, but they used heat shields and parachutes alone. Wings are only necessary if you wish to use airports to land at instead of open deserts or oceans. (We haven't yet designed a spaceship that can land on its tail like Buck Rogers, mainly because it wastes fuel.)

In the 1970's, when the Shuttle was being built, the Air Force requested wings on the Shuttle to allow maneuverability in landing. This was so that the Shuttle could conduct classified military launch missions and land at air force bases. However, the Air Force hasn't used the Shuttle for classified satellite launches since the Challenger blew up in 1986.

In theory, the ability to land like an airplane should make spacecraft launches cheaper, but this hasn't worked for the Shuttle because of other design flaws.

Another spacecraft designed with wings is Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne, a larger version of which will be used by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceline. Like the Shuttle, it uses its wings to brake on re-entry and land at an airport.

Answer 6

The Shuttle is a rocket. It uses the wings on its return from orbit to glide to a landing. Most other types of rockets are "expendable" boosters--they are relatively inexpensive and used to launch one-way payloads like satellites and deep-space probes. After they launch their payloads, they fall back into the admosphere and burn up, since they aren't reusable. So they don't need wings.

Answer 7

because the shuttle is a reusable aircraft. it needs the wings to land when returning to earth as a plane does. rockets do not have them because they are jetisoned and not used again

Answer 8

The shuttles have wings because they are mean't to be flown, returned to earth and reused. Rockets are mean't for a single purpose and are generally sent to higher altitudes.

Answer 9

The Shuttle is a glider. That's what makes it reusable.

Answer 10

Doshuttle