Is the space shuttle considered an airplane.?

Question

Is the space shuttle considered an airplane.?

Answer 1

That depends on which definition of "airplane" you are comparing it to. The FAA has a specific definition, your average person on the street probably has a different one.

When it is returning from orbit, it is as much an airplane as any glider would be. It just starts from way WAY higher than a regular glider. :-)

Sorry for the wishy-washy answer, but the question isn't as simple as it sounds.

Edit - ooh, ninja'd by Icarus.

Answer 2

it is a rocket-launched spacecraft, able to land like an unpowered aircraft

Answer 3

Yeas. :]

Answer 4

Yes, the Space Shuttle is an airplane as defined by Federal Aviation Regulations.  It is capable of flying in outer space after being launched by non-aerodynamic means, but it has all the characteristics and flight controls of a specialized high-speed glider.

Answer 5

It's major power factor from orbit to runway is gravity.  It is an aircraft yet it has propulsion systems to affect it's flight and/or position.  So if it flies by means of airfoils and has means of creating thrust, it must be an airplane by strict definition. But in reality NO.  Logic would say an airplane should have it's own means to become unstuck from Mother Earth.

Answer 6

Spoace shuttle is a reusable space craft. It goes to about 400 kilometers above earth with the help of a system of booster rockets and returns to earths atmosphere as a glider.So it is not a plane but a space craft.

Answer 7

Actually, it's a glider.  It's powered ascent doesn't make use of it's wings.  

Answer 8

The Space Shuttle is considered a spaceplane, rocketplane, or an aerospace plane.

Answer 9

Yes.  The space shuttle is an airplane, although because it flies unpowered it would be more akin to a glider.  To those who have flown it, it is more akin to a brick.

Answer 10

Technically, once it begins its re-entry into the atmosphere, it is a glider.