spaceplane
Reusable orbital vehicle
A spaceplane is a vehicle designed to operate both as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and as a spacecraft in orbit.
Unlike conventional rockets that launch vertically and are largely discarded, spaceplanes typically take off or land like airplanes and are reusable: The spaceplane glided back to the runway after completing its orbital mission.
The Space Shuttle was the most prominent example.
Short-distance transport
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
- wingedHaving flight appendages
- fuselageAircraft's central structure
- cockpitPilot's control compartment
cabin · nose cone · heat shield · cargo bay · landing gear · avionics
Propulsion-driven spacecraft
- engineMachine producing motion
- turbojetTurbine-powered aircraft propulsion
- ramjetVelocity-fed aircraft engine
- scramjetSupersonic-combustion ramjet
thrust · ignition · burn · afterburner · hybrid engine · air-breathing · oxidizer · fuel tank
Faster than Mach five
- supersonicExceeding audio velocity
- aerodynamicsPhysics of air motion
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- stratosphereSecond atmospheric layer up
mesosphere · thermosphere · boundary layer · drag · lift · Mach number · sonic boom · thermal barrier
Departure or parody
- landingDescent's final moment
- runwayPaved path for planes
- glideMove with effortless continuity
- reentryComing back in
approach · descent · touchdown · pilot · astronaut · deorbit · aerobraking · flight path
Shift in opposite direction
- refurbishmentRenewal of worn items
- thermal protectionDefense against temperature extremes
- tile repairFixing broken flooring squares
- inspectionFormal assessment of condition
servicing · cost reduction · fleet · operational · maintainability · SpaceX · Starship
Moment of ascent
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
- padCushioned writing surface
- ascentUpward movement
- trajectoryPath of moving object
stage · separation · boost · vertical takeoff · escape velocity · mission · payload · booster
Curved celestial path
- dockingConnecting to a port
- microgravityExtremely weak gravitational force
- satelliteOrbiting celestial body
- rendezvousScheduled meeting at agreed location
shuttle
Short-distance transport
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
- wingedHaving flight appendages
- fuselageAircraft's central structure
cockpit · cabin · nose cone · heat shield · cargo bay · landing gear · avionics
rocket
Propulsion-driven spacecraft
- engineMachine producing motion
- turbojetTurbine-powered aircraft propulsion
- ramjetVelocity-fed aircraft engine
scramjet · thrust · ignition · burn · afterburner · hybrid engine · air-breathing · oxidizer · fuel tank · throttle
hypersonic
Faster than Mach five
- supersonicExceeding audio velocity
- aerodynamicsPhysics of air motion
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
stratosphere · mesosphere · thermosphere · boundary layer · drag · lift · Mach number · sonic boom · thermal barrier · flight envelope
takeoff
Departure or parody
reentry · approach · descent · touchdown · pilot · astronaut · deorbit · aerobraking · flight path · altitude
turnaround
Shift in opposite direction
- refurbishmentRenewal of worn items
- thermal protectionDefense against temperature extremes
- tile repairFixing broken flooring squares
inspection · servicing · cost reduction · fleet · operational · maintainability · SpaceX · Starship
liftoff
Moment of ascent
trajectory · stage · separation · boost · vertical takeoff · escape velocity · mission · payload · booster · Pegasus
orbit
Curved celestial path
- dockingConnecting to a port
- microgravityExtremely weak gravitational force
- satelliteOrbiting celestial body
rendezvous · ISS · deorbit · apogee · perigee
- aerospacehelicopter, rocket, rockets, astronauts, drones
- spacecraftstarships, Voyager 1, rocket ships, Voyager 2, starship
- spaceflightlaunch, astronaut, liftoff, orbit, countdown
- Future Transporthyperloop, maglev, air taxi, drone taxi, autonomous car
- Hypersonicshypersonic flight, scramjet, Mach 5, hypersonic missile, thermal protection
- spacecraft partsengine, thrusters, antenna array, thruster, fuel tank
spaceplanecapsule
Enclosed dose container
space capsule · reentry capsule · Apollo capsule · Mercury capsule · Soyuz