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An OMS pod detached from a Shuttle for maintenance.
The Orbital Maneuvering System, or OMS (pronounced /omz/), is a system of rocket engines used on the Space Shuttle for orbital injection and modifying its orbit. It consists of two "packs" at the back of the Shuttle, the large lumps on either side of the vertical stabilizer. Each pack contains a single hypergolic engine, based on the Service Propulsion System on the ApolloService Module, with a thrust of 6,000 lbf (27 kN), which can be reused for 100 missions and is capable of 1,000 starts and 15 hours of firing. The OMS pods also contain the rear set of reaction control system (RCS) engines as well, which are referred to as the OMS/RCS. The Shuttle has fuel for about 1000 ft/s delta-V using the OMS. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (480x722, 77 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Orbital Maneuvering System ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (480x722, 77 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Orbital Maneuvering System ... A Redstone rocket, part of the Mercury program The traditional definition of a rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving fluid from within a rocket engine. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... Orbit insertion is a maneuver performed by an inter-planetary spacecraft designed to allow the spacecraft to be captured into orbit around a planet or other body such as a moon. ... The vertical stabilizer or fin of an aircraft is found on its tail, generally pointing straight upward. ... Hypergolic rocket fuels spontaneously ignite when their two components come into contact with each other. ... Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America (NASA) using the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, conducted during the years 1961–1975. ... A spacecrafts service module is a compartment containing a variety of support systems used for spacecraft operations, but not any habitable area. ... A reaction control system (abbreviated RCS) is a subsystem of a spacecraft. ...
Orbital maneuvering system can be used to describe any system for moving about in orbit, so the term is found in non-Shuttle related topics as well.
The main landing gear wheels have a braking system for stopping the orbiter on the runway, and the nose wheel is steerable, again similar to a conventional airplane.
The thermal protection system consists of various materials applied externally to the outer structural skin of the orbiter to maintain the skin within acceptable temperatures, primarily during the entry phase of the mission.
Because the thermal protection system is installed on the outside of the orbiter skin, it establishes the aerodynamics over the vehicle in addition to acting as the heat sink.
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