How does a shuttle, while in space, turn if there are no air molecules?

Answer 1

little tiny rockets called thrusters. you don't need air molecules, you just need to generate a force. and newton said it best "for every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction"

Answer 2

Small rockets, also called thrusters, are placed on the surface of the shuttle. Usually these fire jets of compressed gas such as nitrogen. The gas is stored in tanks inside the shuttle.

Have a look at a photo of the space shuttle. On the nose there are three oval shaped openings. Also, extruding from the bulges at the rear on either side of the tail. Those are the thrusters.

Also, it's a common misconception that a force needs something stationary to push against to impede motion. Newton's Third Law tells us otherwise; for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When the thrusters are fired, the gas molecules escaping from the nozzles impart an equal amount of force on the shuttle in the opposite direction. There's no need for an atmosphere to push against.

Answer 3

Your mistake is in thinking that the force of the engine pushes against the air. But that is not correct. The force pushes against the back of the thrusters, driving the rocket forward.

The shuttle has two sets of thrusters that help it maneuver in orbit. The two large pods on either side of the tail are called the Orbital Maneuvering Engines. In addition to adjusting the shuttle in orbit, they also put it into orbit and take it out of orbit for landing. They must be very powerful, so they actually have to burn.

Because they come on in space, where there is no oxygen to light a flame, they use a special type of chemical combination called "hypergolic." Hypergolic means it burns without having to be ignited, just by being in contact with an oxidizer. The fuel in question is hydrazine, with nitrogen tetroxide for the oxidizer. There is also a hydrogen and helium tank nearby to flush out the system after a burn, so that residual fuel is not present. (That would not be pretty--the shuttle re-entering Earth's atmosphere with leftover hydrazine in the valves of the OME.)

There are smaller thrusters positioned around the nose and tail of the shuttle that are used to turn the spacecraft while it is in orbit. This is called the Reaction Control System, and they are filled with compressed propellant. They provide thrust by releasing the propellant, much as air coming out of a deflating balloon will drive the balloon forward.

Answer 4

Thrusters enable the space shuttle to turn...dont need air molecules my friend

Answer 5

Rockets use Newton's 3rd law which is "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction".
That means there doesn't have to be air in space - the rocket exhaust goes out the back at high speed, and the rocket moves forward.
The speed of the rocket is related to the mass and speed of the exhaust and the mass of the rocket, but that's higher math than we need to get into here.

Answer 6

the space shuttle has thrusters on it called the "Reaction Control System". Newton's 3rd law of motionstates that "every action has an equal and/or opposite reaction". one side of the reaction control system is activated, the gasses push the orbiter the opposite direction.

Answer 7

It uses thrusters, fins and wings are only used in landing when it glides through the atmosphere.

Answer 8

How do you think any space ship or probe manouvres in space.

Rocket engines!!!!

Little ones for little manouvres. Big ones for big manouvres, like injection into another orbit, or beyond.

Answer 9

It's called conservation of momentum. Throw something (or eject fuel) in one direction, and you go in the opposite direction.

Answer 10

manuvering thrusters--directional rocket engines