ROOM: The Space Journal is one of the prominent magazines on space exploration, technology and industry. At ROOM, we share a common dream – advancement of peaceful space exploration for the benefit of humankind, all while bringing you incisive articles on a variety of current topics. Our authors include experts and industry leaders from all over the world, which lets us bring you the newest and accurate information about space shuttle orbit altitude.
April 2020
Space Florida - gateway to an interstellar future
... investing in commercialising aged or under-utilised assets. Facilities that once launched NASA’s Apollo and Space Shuttle missions are now launching commercial rockets. The state’s spaceport system is a living example of ... such facilities are the former Orbital Processing Facilities (OPF) of NASA that were used to turnaround and process the Space Shuttle after landing for subsequent re-flight to space. Space Florida secured a long-term property...
February 2019
The Space Elevator – an alternative path to space?
...spectacular launch failures. The rocket equation for chemical rockets results in only a small payload fraction. The space shuttle carried only one train-wagon-equivalent payload to LEO, around 27.5 metric tons (mt), or 1.4 percent of...doesn’t follow an exactly periodic orbit and passes the plane of the elevator will eventually hit it. This danger is as real as a speck of paint almost taking out the window of the space shuttle! The risks of debris, ...
February 2021
Space archaeology - preserving our orbital heritage
..., of course. It’s important we get rid of all that clutter to free up essential low and medium altitude Earth orbits (LEO and MEO). No. There’s stuff we could harvest and use up there. Maybe… perhaps we should...of significant items still in orbit that may merit consideration. Case study One notable space asset within the space heritage discussion is the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Launched in 1988 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, it is clear that...
June 2020
Astrovan II - your ride to space is here
... International served as prime contractor for both the Apollo command and service module and the Space Shuttle orbiter, arguably America’s two most iconic crewed spacecraft. And, second, because the company’s ...) of Starliner in December. Starliner itself is important because, after NASA’s Space Shuttle was decommissioned there were no options to launch American astronauts into orbit from US soil for nearly a decade. “When I drive the van around...
February 2020
Preserving our space heritage
...etc, but probably no satellites that have actually flown in space. There are, of course, a few re-entry capsules and a limited cadre of space shuttles, manned vehicles that were deliberately designed to return to Earth... of assets in orbit implies providing a propulsion capability to achieve a stable orbit. For example, the HST, currently at about 550 km altitude, will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere by 2030 if its orbit is not maintained....
May 2020
Space for Art – The magnificent beauty of spaceflight
... so thankful to all of the photographers who are chronicling the magnificent beauty of spaceflight. To me, this picture of the Space Shuttle Discovery’s roll to the launch pad for her final flight is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. With... such an incredibly beautiful image and help to ensure safety for future launches. Atlas V launch of Solar Orbiter, Cape Canaveral - February 2020 These two pictures bring to life the power of launch. There is a...
June 2022
Military space – how worried should we be?
... communications satellites in 24-hour orbit. This seems to have been pioneered in 1990 by the American shuttle-launched Prowler, since imitated by the Russian Luch Olymp (2014). In conclusion, it is not clear if the actual nature of military space has changed much...
July 2020
Lego’s replica space programme
...facsimile of the ISS, measuring about 48 x 30 x 24 cm when complete. It is mounted on a Lego-built stand with a Space Shuttle, capsule and several ‘cargo spacecraft’ that can be docked to the station. Like the real thing, the..., lack-of-saleability reasons). It could, however, be time to consider that icon of human space travel, the Space Shuttle, as it drifts further into the mists of history and rose-tinted recollection. About the author...
August 2021
Born to juggle in space
...might witness in a future space bar while sharing a space beer with some space friends. Growing up near the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and in Florida, within view of Space Shuttles leaving the planet, I ...developed an early appreciation for space exploration. In addition to my love of the cosmos, and perhaps related to my...
