Space Shuttle. 1  Length Orbiter: 56 meters (184 feet) 2  Width Orbiter: 23 meters (76.6 feet) 3  Takeoff weight: 2,041 metric tons (4.5 million pounds) 4  Fuel weight: 1,937 metric tons (4.3 million pounds), including solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank. 5  Maiden Flight: April 12, 1981.
The Retained Earnings account is a stockholders' equity account that normally has a credit balance. The Retained Earnings account has three componentsârevenues, expenses, and dividends. Revenues increase the balance of retained earnings. Expenses and dividends decrease the balance of retained earnings.
Retained Earnings Are Important, But How They Are Used Is Critical. Retained earnings -- sometimes known as accumulated earnings, earnings surplus or unappropriated profit -- is that portion of net income or net profit (a figure most often taken from the income statement) that is not paid out as dividends, but are retained in the company. Retained earnings are often reinvested in the company for research and development purposes, investment in the physical plant, purchase of additional or better equipment or for retiring debt.