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Space Shuttle external tank
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{{Short description|Component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle}} {{Redirect|External fuel tank|expendable tanks carried by aircraft|Drop tank|selfref=yes}} {{redirect|SSET|the category sSet|Category of simplicial sets}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox rocket stage |name = Space Shuttle external tank |image = External tank No. 124.jpg |image_size = 300px |caption = External tank No. 124 is lowered into high bay 1 of the [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] prior to attachment of the solid rocket boosters for mission [[STS-117]]. |manufacturer = [[NASA]] [[Michoud Assembly Facility]], contractor: [[Martin Marietta]], later [[Lockheed Martin]] |country = United States |rockets = [[Space Shuttle]] |height = {{convert|153.8|ft|m|sp=us|abbr=on|order=flip}} |diameter = {{convert|27.6|ft|m|sp=us|abbr=on|order=flip}} |mass = {{convert|1680000|lb|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}} | stagedata = {{Infobox rocket/stage | name = Space Shuttle ET | engines = 3 [[RS-25]] mounted on the [[Space Shuttle orbiter|orbiter]] | thrust = {{cvt|{{#Expr:3*418000}}|lbf|kN}}<ref name="aerojet">Aerojet Rocketdyne, [https://www.rocket.com/rs-25-engine RS-25 Engine] (accessed July 22, 2014)</ref> | burntime = 510 s | fuel = [[Liquid Hydrogen|LH<sub>2</sub>]]/[[Liquid Oxygen|LOX]] }} }} [[File:External Tank.jpg|thumb|right|The ET from [[STS-115]] after separation from the orbiter. The scorch mark near the front end of the tank is from the SRB separation motors.]] The '''Space Shuttle external tank''' ('''ET''') was the component of the [[Space Shuttle]] [[launch vehicle]] that contained the [[liquid hydrogen]] [[Rocket propellant|fuel]] and [[liquid oxygen]] [[oxidizer]]. During lift-off and ascent it supplied the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to the three [[RS-25]] main engines in the [[Space Shuttle orbiter|orbiter]]. The ET was jettisoned just over 10 seconds after main engine cut-off (MECO) and it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. Unlike the [[Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster|Solid Rocket Boosters]], external tanks were not re-used. They broke up before impact in the [[Indian Ocean]] (or [[Pacific Ocean]] in the case of direct-insertion launch trajectories), away from [[shipping lane]]s and were not recovered.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/et.html |title= External Tank |access-date= January 19, 2014 |work= NSTS 1988 News Reference Manual |date= September 1988 |publisher= NASA |archive-date= August 19, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190819161653/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/et.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>
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