Orbital Maneuvering System

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/orbital-maneuvering-system

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key mission functions?Orbital insertion, circularization, transfers, rendezvous, station-keeping, and de-orbit burns
2. What is the performance metric?Specific Impulse (Isp) indicates propellant efficiency
3. Why do spaceships need an Orbital Maneuvering System?Spaceships need an OMS because once they are in orbit, the main launch engines are no longer useful. OMS lets the craft move to a different orbit, meet up with other spacecraft, or safely come back to Earth.
4. How does the Orbital Maneuvering System work on the Space Shuttle?On the Space Shuttle, two OMS pods were attached to the back of the orbiter. They fired to circularize the orbit after launch, to send the shuttle back toward Earth, and to help it meet the International Space Station.

Delta-v: The change in velocity a spacecraft needs to perform a maneuver.
Specific Impulse (Isp): A measure of how efficiently a rocket engine uses propellant.
De Laval Nozzle: A nozzle designed to accelerate a gas to supersonic speeds, maximizing thrust.