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</label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Reaction control system</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 19 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-19" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">19 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85_%D8%B1%D8%AF_%D9%81%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A" title="نظام تحكم رد فعلي – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="نظام تحكم رد فعلي" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_Control_System" title="Reaction Control System – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Reaction Control System" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistema_de_control_de_reacci%C3%B3n" title="Sistema de control de reacción – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Sistema de control de reacción" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%85_%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%84_%D9%88%D8%A7%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%B4" title="سیستم کنترل واکنش – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="سیستم کنترل واکنش" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_Control_System" title="Reaction Control System – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Reaction Control System" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%B0%98%EB%8F%99_%EC%A0%9C%EC%96%B4_%EC%8B%9C%EC%8A%A4%ED%85%9C" title="반동 제어 시스템 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="반동 제어 시스템" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistem_kontrol_reaksi" title="Sistem kontrol reaksi – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Sistem kontrol reaksi" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_control_system" title="Reaction control system – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Reaction control system" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%AA_%D7%91%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%AA_%D7%AA%D7%92%D7%95%D7%91%D7%94" title="מערכת בקרת תגובה – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="מערכת בקרת תגובה" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A7%BF%E5%8B%A2%E5%88%B6%E5%BE%A1%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0" title="姿勢制御システム – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="姿勢制御システム" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_sterowania_reakcyjnego" title="System sterowania reakcyjnego – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="System sterowania reakcyjnego" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistema_de_controle_de_rea%C3%A7%C3%A3o" title="Sistema de controle de reação – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Sistema de controle de reação" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0_%D1%83%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Реактивная система управления – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Реактивная система управления" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCS-moottori" title="RCS-moottori – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="RCS-moottori" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%8E%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%81_%E0%AE%85%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%81" title="எதிர்வினைக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு அமைப்பு – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="எதிர்வினைக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு அமைப்பு" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaksiyon_kontrol_sistemi" title="Reaksiyon kontrol sistemi – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Reaksiyon kontrol sistemi" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk 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0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Reaction_control_system" title="Special:EditPage/Reaction control system">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Reaction+control+system%22">"Reaction control system"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Reaction+control+system%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Reaction+control+system%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Reaction+control+system%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Reaction+control+system%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Reaction+control+system%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">September 2014</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:LM_RCS.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/LM_RCS.jpg/220px-LM_RCS.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="209" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/LM_RCS.jpg/330px-LM_RCS.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/LM_RCS.jpg/440px-LM_RCS.jpg 2x" data-file-width="609" data-file-height="578" /></a><figcaption>Two of four Reaction Control System thruster quads on the <a href="/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module" title="Apollo Lunar Module">Apollo Lunar Module</a></figcaption></figure> <p>A <b>reaction control system</b> (<b>RCS</b>) is a spacecraft system that uses <a href="/wiki/Thrusters_(spacecraft)" title="Thrusters (spacecraft)">thrusters</a> to provide <a href="/wiki/Spacecraft_attitude_control" class="mw-redirect" title="Spacecraft attitude control">attitude control</a> and <a href="/wiki/Translation_(physics)" class="mw-redirect" title="Translation (physics)">translation</a>. Alternatively, <a href="/wiki/Reaction_wheels" class="mw-redirect" title="Reaction wheels">reaction wheels</a> can be used for attitude control. Use of diverted engine thrust to provide stable attitude control of a <a href="/wiki/V/STOL" title="V/STOL">short-or-vertical takeoff and landing aircraft</a> below conventional winged flight speeds, such as with the <a href="/wiki/Hawker_Siddeley_Harrier#Controls_and_handling" title="Hawker Siddeley Harrier">Harrier "jump jet"</a>, may also be referred to as a reaction control system.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Reaction control systems are capable of providing small amounts of <a href="/wiki/Thrust" title="Thrust">thrust</a> in any desired direction or combination of directions. An RCS is also capable of providing <a href="/wiki/Torque" title="Torque">torque</a> to allow control of <a href="/wiki/Rotation" title="Rotation">rotation</a> (<a href="/wiki/Aircraft_principal_axes" title="Aircraft principal axes">roll, pitch, and yaw</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Reaction control systems often use combinations of large and small (<a href="/wiki/Vernier_thruster" title="Vernier thruster">vernier</a>) thrusters, to allow different levels of response. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Uses">Uses</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reaction_control_system&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Uses"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Spacecraft reaction control systems are used for: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Spacecraft_attitude_control" class="mw-redirect" title="Spacecraft attitude control">attitude control</a> during different stages of a mission;<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orbital_station-keeping" title="Orbital station-keeping">station keeping</a> in <a href="/wiki/Orbit" title="Orbit">orbit</a>;</li> <li>close <a href="/wiki/Space_rendezvous" title="Space rendezvous">maneuvering</a> during <a href="/wiki/Space_rendezvous" title="Space rendezvous">docking</a> procedures;</li> <li>control of <a href="/wiki/Orientation_(geometry)" title="Orientation (geometry)">orientation</a>, or "pointing the nose" of the craft;</li> <li>a backup means of <a href="/wiki/Atmospheric_reentry" class="mw-redirect" title="Atmospheric reentry">deorbiting</a>;</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ullage_motor" title="Ullage motor">ullage motors</a> to prime the fuel system for a main engine burn.</li></ul> <p>Because spacecraft only contain a finite amount of fuel and there is little chance to refill them, alternative reaction control systems have been developed so that fuel can be conserved. For stationkeeping, some spacecraft (particularly those in <a href="/wiki/Geosynchronous_orbit" title="Geosynchronous orbit">geosynchronous orbit</a>) use high-<a href="/wiki/Specific_impulse" title="Specific impulse">specific impulse</a> engines such as <a href="/wiki/Arcjet" class="mw-redirect" title="Arcjet">arcjets</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ion_thruster" title="Ion thruster">ion thrusters</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Hall_effect_thruster" class="mw-redirect" title="Hall effect thruster">Hall effect thrusters</a>. To control orientation, a few spacecraft, including the <a href="/wiki/International_Space_Station" title="International Space Station">ISS</a>, use <a href="/wiki/Momentum_wheel" class="mw-redirect" title="Momentum wheel">momentum wheels</a> which spin to control rotational rates on the vehicle. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Location_of_thrusters_on_spacecraft">Location of thrusters on spacecraft</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reaction_control_system&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Location of thrusters on spacecraft"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Rcs-gemini.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Rcs-gemini.jpg/220px-Rcs-gemini.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="188" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Rcs-gemini.jpg/330px-Rcs-gemini.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Rcs-gemini.jpg/440px-Rcs-gemini.jpg 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="513" /></a><figcaption>Gemini <a href="/wiki/Orbit_Attitude_and_Maneuvering_System" title="Orbit Attitude and Maneuvering System">Orbit Attitude and Maneuvering System</a>, and Reentry (mislabeled "Reaction”<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) Control System</figcaption></figure> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Project_Mercury" title="Project Mercury">Mercury</a> <a href="/wiki/Space_capsule" title="Space capsule">space capsule</a> and <a href="/wiki/Project_Gemini" title="Project Gemini">Gemini</a> reentry module both used groupings of nozzles to provide <a href="/wiki/Spacecraft_attitude_control" class="mw-redirect" title="Spacecraft attitude control">attitude control</a>. The thrusters were located off their <a href="/wiki/Center_of_mass" title="Center of mass">center of mass</a>, thus providing a <a href="/wiki/Torque" title="Torque">torque</a> to rotate the capsule. The Gemini capsule was also capable of adjusting its reentry course by rolling, which directed its off-center lifting force.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (September 2022)">clarification needed</span></a></i>]</sup> The Mercury thrusters used a <a href="/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide" title="Hydrogen peroxide">hydrogen peroxide</a> monopropellant which turned to steam when forced through a <a href="/wiki/Tungsten" title="Tungsten">tungsten</a> screen, and the Gemini thrusters used <a href="/wiki/Hypergolic" class="mw-redirect" title="Hypergolic">hypergolic</a> <a href="/wiki/Mono-methyl_hydrazine" class="mw-redirect" title="Mono-methyl hydrazine">mono-methyl hydrazine</a> fuel oxidized with <a href="/wiki/Nitrogen_tetroxide" class="mw-redirect" title="Nitrogen tetroxide">nitrogen tetroxide</a>. </p><p>The Gemini spacecraft was also equipped with a hypergolic <a href="/wiki/Orbit_Attitude_and_Maneuvering_System" title="Orbit Attitude and Maneuvering System">Orbit Attitude and Maneuvering System</a>, which made it the first crewed spacecraft with <a href="/wiki/Translation_(physics)" class="mw-redirect" title="Translation (physics)">translation</a> as well as rotation capability. In-orbit attitude control was achieved by firing pairs of eight 25-pound-force (110 N) thrusters located around the circumference of its adapter module at the extreme aft end. Lateral translation control was provided by four 100-pound-force (440 N) thrusters around the circumference at the forward end of the adaptor module (close to the spacecraft's center of mass). Two forward-pointing 85-pound-force (380 N) thrusters at the same location, provided aft translation, and two 100-pound-force (440 N) thrusters located in the aft end of the adapter module provided forward thrust, which could be used to change the craft's orbit. The Gemini reentry module also had a separate Reentry Control System of sixteen thrusters located at the base of its nose, to provide rotational control during reentry. </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Apollo_command_and_service_module" title="Apollo command and service module">Apollo Command Module</a> had a set of twelve hypergolic thrusters for attitude control, and directional reentry control similar to Gemini. </p><p>The Apollo <a href="/wiki/Apollo_command_and_service_module" title="Apollo command and service module">Service Module</a> and <a href="/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module" title="Apollo Lunar Module">Lunar Module</a> each had a set of sixteen <a href="/wiki/R-4D" title="R-4D">R-4D</a> hypergolic thrusters, grouped into external clusters of four, to provide both translation and attitude control. The clusters were located near the craft's average centers of mass, and were fired in pairs in opposite directions for attitude control. </p><p>A pair of translation thrusters are located at the rear of the Soyuz spacecraft; the counter-acting thrusters are similarly paired in the middle of the spacecraft (near the center of mass) pointing outwards and forward. These act in pairs to prevent the spacecraft from rotating. The thrusters for the lateral directions are mounted close to the center of mass of the spacecraft, in pairs as well.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (March 2013)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Location_of_thrusters_on_spaceplanes">Location of thrusters on spaceplanes</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reaction_control_system&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Location of thrusters on spaceplanes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Shuttle_front_RCS.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Shuttle_front_RCS.jpg/250px-Shuttle_front_RCS.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="271" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Shuttle_front_RCS.jpg/375px-Shuttle_front_RCS.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Shuttle_front_RCS.jpg/500px-Shuttle_front_RCS.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1273" data-file-height="1378" /></a><figcaption>RCS thrusters on the nose of <a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Discovery" title="Space Shuttle Discovery"><i>Discovery</i></a>, a <a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter" title="Space Shuttle orbiter">Space Shuttle orbiter</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>The suborbital <a href="/wiki/North_American_X-15" title="North American X-15">X-15</a> and a companion training aero-spacecraft, the <a href="/wiki/Lockheed_NF-104A" title="Lockheed NF-104A">NF-104 AST</a>, both intended to travel to an altitude that rendered their aerodynamic control surfaces unusable, established a convention for locations for thrusters on winged vehicles not intended to dock in space; that is, those that only have attitude control thrusters. Those for pitch and yaw are located in the nose, forward of the cockpit, and replace a standard radar system. Those for roll are located at the wingtips. The <a href="/wiki/Boeing_X-20_Dyna-Soar" title="Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar">X-20</a>, which would have gone into orbit, continued this pattern. </p><p>Unlike these, the <a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter" title="Space Shuttle orbiter">Space Shuttle Orbiter</a> had many more thrusters, which were required to control vehicle attitude in both orbital flight and during the early part of atmospheric entry, as well as carry out rendezvous and docking maneuvers in orbit. Shuttle thrusters were grouped in the nose of the vehicle and on each of the two aft <a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Orbital_Maneuvering_System" class="mw-redirect" title="Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System">Orbital Maneuvering System</a> pods. No nozzles interrupted the heat shield on the underside of the craft; instead, the nose RCS nozzles which control positive pitch were mounted on the side of the vehicle, and were canted downward. The downward-facing negative pitch thrusters were located in the <a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Orbital_Maneuvering_System" class="mw-redirect" title="Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System">OMS</a> pods mounted in the tail/afterbody. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="International_Space_Station_systems">International Space Station systems</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reaction_control_system&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: International Space Station systems"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/International_Space_Station" title="International Space Station">International Space Station</a> uses electrically powered <a href="/wiki/Control_moment_gyroscope" title="Control moment gyroscope">control moment gyroscopes (CMG)</a> for primary attitude control, with RCS thruster systems as backup and augmentation systems.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources" title="Wikipedia:Reliable sources"><span title="The material near this tag may rely on an unreliable source. (September 2021)">unreliable source?</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Reaction_control_system&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output 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a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20130010548/downloads/20130010548.pdf">"<span class="cs1-kern-left"></span>"What is RCS?" by NASA in a PDF file"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=%22What+is+RCS%3F%22+by+NASA+in+a+PDF+file.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fntrs.nasa.gov%2Fapi%2Fcitations%2F20130010548%2Fdownloads%2F20130010548.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReaction+control+system" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-rcs.html#sts-rcs">"REACTION CONTROL SYSTEM"</a>. <i>science.ksc.nasa.gov</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=science.ksc.nasa.gov&rft.atitle=REACTION+CONTROL+SYSTEM&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.ksc.nasa.gov%2Fshuttle%2Ftechnology%2Fsts-newsref%2Fsts-rcs.html%23sts-rcs&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReaction+control+system" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFColasValenzuela2020" class="citation cs2">Colas, Armand L.; Valenzuela, Juan G. (2020-08-17), <span class="id-lock-subscription" title="Paid subscription required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2020-3526">"Reaction Control System Performance Characterization using Vacuum Chamber Thrust Stand"</a></span>, <i>AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2020 Forum</i>, AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2514%2F6.2020-3526">10.2514/6.2020-3526</a>, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-62410-602-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-62410-602-6"><bdi>978-1-62410-602-6</bdi></a>, <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:225270552">225270552</a><span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-09-27</span></span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=AIAA+Propulsion+and+Energy+2020+Forum&rft.atitle=Reaction+Control+System+Performance+Characterization+using+Vacuum+Chamber+Thrust+Stand&rft.date=2020-08-17&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A225270552%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2514%2F6.2020-3526&rft.isbn=978-1-62410-602-6&rft.aulast=Colas&rft.aufirst=Armand+L.&rft.au=Valenzuela%2C+Juan+G.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farc.aiaa.org%2Fdoi%2F10.2514%2F6.2020-3526&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReaction+control+system" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nasa.gov/history/SP-4002/p1b.htm">"Project Gemini - A Chronology. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2024-08-27</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.nasa.gov&rft.atitle=Project+Gemini+-+A+Chronology.+Part+1+%28B%29&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fhistory%2FSP-4002%2Fp1b.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AReaction+control+system" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=34777.0;attach=586775">http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=34777.0;attach=586775</a> <sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources#User-generated_content" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources"><span title="This reference citation appears to be to a user-generated source. 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