Lots More Information

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

• How Satellites Work
• How Rocket Engines Work
• How Space Shuttles Work

More Great Links

• Boeing: Delta IV Heavy
• Boeing: Delta Expendable Launch Vehicles
• Boeing Launch Services
• AbsoluteAstronomy: Low Earth orbit
• NASA
• NASA: The Space Place

Sources

• Rocket & Space Technology: Orbital Mechanics
• AbsoluteAstronomy: Low Earth orbit
• NASA: New Launch Vehicle Could Boost NASA's Future - Dec. 11, 2003
• Boeing: Delta IV Heavy
• Boeing: Delta Expendable Launch Vehicles
• HowStuffWorks: How Satellites Work
• HowStuffWorks: How Rocket Engines Work
• HowStuffWorks: How Space Shuttles Work
• Boeing Backgrounder: Boeing Delta IV
• The Space Place: An Orbit for Every Need
• The Space Place: Why can't an airplane just fly into space? Why do we need rockets?
• From Stargazers to Starships
• Basics of Model Rocketry by Douglas R. Pratt, 2nd Edition, Kalmback Books, 1995.
• Space Exploration: Are the Gains Worth the Cost? By Kim Masters Evans, Information Plus Reference Series, Thomson Gale, 2004.
• How Things Work In Space, Time-Life Books, 1991.
• Space Satellite Handbook, 3rd Edition, Anthony R. Curtis, Editor, Gulf Publishing Company, 1994.