How space shuttle Atlantis can travel millions of kilometer with limited fuel?
the only times that the shuttle is using the fuel that is stored within the orbiter itself is during the 2 days that it catches up with the space station and the two days leading up to the de-orbit burn and landing. the rest of the time it is docked to the space station and orbiting the earth without expending any fuel.
No work is done for moving a body in uniform circular motion in vacuum. However, even in space where there is lack of atmosphere, it is not total vacuum. Much lesser number of air molecules present also offer resistance to the movement of shuttle, but it being very small very little work has to be done to overcome it which may need very small amount of fuel. Maximum use of fuel is during the lift and landing when it has to do more work against the resisting atmosphere.
First of all not a lot of fuel is carried aboard the shuttle, as during take it is strapped to the rocket which carries those huge quantties of fuel. This rocket after crossing the earths atmosphere and gravitational pull releases the shuttle. One you cross the eatrhs atmosphere and gravity there is vacuum and no friction at all, and as a result the shuttle keeps on travelling at the speed at which it had been released by the rocket. A small quantity of fuel is there in the shuttle which is used for the small engines/jets on the shuttle to control the direction/path of the shuttle. These engines/jets are not used continuesly but for a very short periods. Once again some fuel is needed when the shuttle is returning back to earth. Till it is in space it just glides like a glider (once again the direction/path is controlled with those engines/jets on the shuttle)and only when it re- enters the earths atmosphere fuel is needed for the jets to slow down the shuttle for landing/touchdown. So
