A shuttle on the launch pad measures 184 feet (56 meters) tall from the tip of the externaltank down to the aft skirts of its twin solid rocket boosters.
从外部燃料箱的顶端至船尾固体火箭助推器的裙摆，发射台上的航天飞机高184英尺(56米)。
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Shuttle program managers made the decision at 7:24 a.m. EST after a failure occurred in a fuel sensor system while Atlantis' external fuel tank was being filled.
In 2005, during the first launch after the Space shuttle Columbia disaster, a shuttle was threatened by another flying menace: a vulture that smacked into the externaltank during takeoff.