Space Shuttle Coming of Age in Space

8/8/2019 Space Shuttle Coming of Age in Space

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COVER: Unmanned s pa c e c r a f t w i th a t t a c h e d i n t e r imuppe r s t a qe ( I U S ) i s t r a n s f e r r e d fro m o pe n ca r g o b ayo f S h u t t l e o r b i t e r i n t o s pa ce by t h e o r b i t e r ' s remotem a ni p ul a to r ( a r t i s t ' s c o n c ep t ) . The I U S c a n r o c k e ts p a c e c r a f t t o h i g he r o r b i t s t h an t h e S h u t t l e c a n r e a c hor i n t o i n t e r p l a n e t a ry t r a j e c t o r i e s . he remote manip-u l a t o r sys tem, deve loped by Canada a t i t s own expense ,p e rm i ts a s t r o n a u t s i n s i d e t h e a r b i t e r t o d e pl oy o r4r e t r i e v e o r b i t i n g s a t e l l i t e s .


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"Although we are planning many exciting nissionsfor the Shuttle, we have only scratched. the surface.Once the Shuttle is o2erational m c ' , a fact of life,inventive and innovative minds w i l l create uses d i f f i -cult to envision now. m a t were dreams not long agowill be reality.space. '

Man will come to feel at hone in

-- James C. FletcherNPSA AdministratorNovember 1976


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National Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationWashington.DC 20546AC 20 2 755-8370

David GarrettHeadquarters, Washington, D.C.(Phone: 202/755-3090)

For Release:IMMEDIATE

Victor SeigelHeadquarters, Washington, D.C.(Phone: 202/755-3350)

RELEASE NO: 77-7

SPACE SHUTTLE -- THE COMING OF AGE IN SPACEThe beginning of regularly scheduled runs of NASA's

Space Shuttle to and from Earth orbit in the 19.80s marksthe coming of age in space.and costly space missions into routine and economicaloperations that generate maximum benefits for all people.Shuttle opens space to men and women of all nations whoare reasonably healthy and have important work to dothere

The Shuttle turns formidable

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A V e r s a t i l e Ve h ic l e

S pa c e S hu t t l e i s a t r u e a e r o s p a c e v e h i c l e . I t t a k e so f f l i k e a rocke t , maneuvers i n E a r t h o r b i t l i k e a space-c r a f t , an d l a n d s l i k e a n a i r p l a n e . Sp ace S h u t t l e i s des ignedt o c a r r y h eavy l o a d s i n t o E a r t h o r b i t . O t h e r l a u n c h v e h i c l e shave done t h i s . Bu t u n l i k e t h e o t h e r l a un c h veh ic l e s whichw e r e u se d j u s t o nc e, each S pa ce S hu t t l e o r b i t e r may be re-used a hundred t i m e s o r more.

Moreover, Sh u t t l e pe r mi t s checkout and r e pa i r of un-manned s a t e l l i t e s i n o r b i t , o r r e t u rn of t h e s a t e l l i t e s t oE a r t h f o r r epa i r s t h a t c ou ld no t be done i n space. T h i sw i l l r e s u l t i n c on s id e ra b le s a vi n gs i n s p a c e c r a f t cos ts .S a t e l l i t e s t h a t t h e S h u t t l e c a n o r b i t and m a in t ai n i n c l u d ethos e i nvo lve d i n e nv i r onm e n tal p r o t e c t i o n , e ne r gy, we a the rf o r e c a s t i n g , na v iga t i on , f i s h in g , f a rm ing , m apping , oce an -ography and many o t h e r f i e l d s us e f u l t o man.

I n t e r p l a n e t a r y s p a c e c r a f t ca n a l s o be p l ac e d i n o r b i tby t h e S h u t t l e , t o g e t h e r w i t h a rocket s t a g e c a l l e d t h eIn te r i m Upper S tag e ( IUS) which i s be ing deve loped by theDepartment of Defense. A f t e r t h e I U S and spacec ra f t arechecked ou t , the I U S i s i g n i t e d t o a c c e l e r a t e t h e s p a c e c r a f ti n t o deep space . T h e I U S w i l l a l s o be employed t o boosts a t e l l i t e s t o h i g h e r o r b i t s t h a n t h e S h u t t l e ' s maximuma l t i t u d e -- about 1 , 0 0 0 ki lometers ( approx imate ly 600 m i l e s ) .

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Unmanned s a t e l l i t e s su c h a s t h e Space Telescope, whichcan mul t ip ly man ' s v i e w of t h e unive rse , and t h e Long Dura-t i o n Exposure F a c i l i t y (LDEF), which can demonstrate t h ee f f e c t s o n m a t e r i a l s of l ong exposure t o th e space env i ron-m en t, c an be pl a ce d i n o r b i t , e r e c t e d , a n d r e t u r n e d t o E a r t hby t h e Space S h u t t l e . S h u t t l e crews c a n , a l so p e rf o rm suc hs e r v i c e s a s r e p la c in g t h e Space Telescope's f i l m packs andle ns es . The Space Telescope i s be ing s tu d i ed by Marsha llSpace F l i g h t C e n t e r , H u n t s v i l l e , A l a . , and Goddard SpaceF l i g h t Cente r , Greenbe l t , M d . , w h i l e LDEF i s a produc t o f

. Langley Research Center, Hampton, V a .

The S h u t t l e i s a manned sp ac ec ra f t , b u t un l ik e mannedsp ac ec ra f t o f t h e pa s t l i k e Mercury , Gemini and Apollo , ittouches down l i k e a n a i r p l a n e on a l a n d i n g s t r i p . Thus,t h e S h u t t l e e l i m i n a t e s t h e need f o r the expens ive sea re=c o ve r y f o r c e r e q u i r e d f o r Mercury, Gemini and Apol lo . I na d d i t i o n , u n l i k e t h e prev ious manned sp ac ec ra f t , t h e S h u t t l ei s r e u sa b l e .

W i t h i t s compara t ive ly shor t t u rna round t i m e it canb e r e f u r b i sh e d a nd r ea d y f o r a n o t h e r j o u rn e y i n t o sp a c ew i t h i n t w o weeks a f t e r landing.

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The Shuttle can quickly provide a vantage point inspace for observations of transient astronomical events orof sudden weather, agricultural or environmental crises.Information from Shuttle observations c o u l d contribute tosound decisions for countries dealing with such problems.

The Shuttle is scheduled to carry a complete scientificlaboratory called. Spacelab into Earth orbit.the European Space Agency (ESA ) , Spacelab is similar to

Developed by

earthbound laboratories but adapted to operate in zerogravitv (weightlessness). It provides a shirtsleeve environ-ment, suitable for working, eating an?. sleeping without theencumberance of special clothing or space suits.

Spacelab provides facilities for as many as fourlaboratory specialists to conduct expe'riments in such fieldsas medicine, manufacturing, astronomy and pharmaceuticals.Spacelab remains attached to the Shuttle orbiter throughouta mission. Upon return to Earth, Spacelab is removed fromthe orbiter and outfitted f o r its next assignment. It canbe reused about 59 times.

Spacelab personnel will be men and women of many nations,experts in their fields and in reasonably good health. Theywill require o n l v a few weeks of space flight training.

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P a r t i c i p a t i n g ESA na t i o ns a r e Belgium, Denmark, Franc e ,I t a l y , The Ne th e r l and s , Spa in , Swi t ze r l and , U n i t ed Kingdom,A u s t r i a and t h e F e d e r a l R e p u b l i c of Germany (West Germany).Space l ab i s a n e xa mp le o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l s h a r i n g of spacec o s t s and of w orld wid e i n t e r e s t i n t h e s t ud y o f s c i e n ce i na space envi ronment .

P r o j e c t s t h a t o n ly r e c e n t l y were c o n s i d e re d i m p r a c t i c a b l ebecome f e a s i b l e w i t h S pac e S h u t t l e . S h u t t l e c an c a r r y i n t oo r b i t t h e b u i l d i n g b l o c k s f o r l a r g e s o l a r p o w e r s t a t i o n st h a t wo uld c o n v e r t t h e abundant s o l a r h e a t a nd s u n l i g h t o fspace i n t o u n l i mi te d s u p p l i e s of e l e c t r i c i t y f o r an energy-hungry world. These bu i l d ing b locks wou ld be assembled bys p e c i a l i s t s , t r a n s p o r t e d a nd s u p po r te d i n s p a c e b y S h u t t l e .

T h e S h u t t l e c an a l s o c a r r y t h e b u i l d i n g b l oc k s f o r s e l f -s u s t a i n i n g s e t t l e m e n ts i n t o E a r th o r b i t .t he se s e t t l e m e n t s c o u l d b e e mp lo yed i n s u c h v i t a l o c cu pa -t i o n s as b u i l d i n g a n d m a i n t a i n i n q s o l a r power s t a t i o n s a ndmanufac ture of d r u g s , m e t a l s , g l a s s for l e n s e s and e l e c t r o n i cc r y s t a l s .co s t s o f c e r t a i n d ru g s, c rea t e new a l l o ys , p roduce d rugs andl e n s e s of u nu su al p u r i t y and e na b l e c r y s t a l s t o grow veryl a r g e . Drugs, m e t a l s , g l a s s and e l e c t r o n i c c r y s t a l s w i l la l s o be manufac tu red du r in g Space l ab mi s s io ns , l ong be fo re

I n h a b i t a n t s of

Manufac turing i n weiqh t l e s s space cou ld r educe

e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f any space s e t t l e m e n t .-more-

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P r i n c i p a l Com po nents o f S h u t t l e

The S p a c e S h u t t l e is m a d e up t h r e e r n a i n . u n i t s : t h etwo s o l i d r o c k e t b o o s t e r s , o r b i t e r a nd e x t e r n a l t a n k . E achb o o s t e r r o c k e t h as a sea l e v e l t h r u s t o f 11 .6 m i l l i o n n ew to ns( 2 . 6 m i l l i o n p o u n d s ) .

The o r b i t e r i s t h e crew and p ay l oa d c a r r y i n g u n i t o ft h e S h u t t l e s y s t e m . It i s 37 m e t e r s ( 122 f e e t ) l o n g , h as awingspan of 2 4 m (78. t . ) a nd w e ig hs a b o u t 68 , 000 k i l o g r a m s

.(

(150,000 pounds) wi thout fuel. I t i s a b o u t t h e s i z e andw e i g h t of a DC-9 co mm erc ia l a i r t r a n s p o r t .

The o r b i t e r c a n t r a n s p o r t a p a y l o a d of 29 ,500 kg( 65 ,0 00 l b . ) i n t o o r b i t . (I t c a r r i e s i t s c a r g o i n a c a v e r -nous payload bay 18.3 n ( 6 0 f t . ) l o ag and 4 . 6 m (15 f t . ) i ndiameter. T h e bay i s f l e x i b l e enough t o provide accommoda-t i o n s f o r unmanned s p a c e c r a f t i n a v a r i e t y of s h a p e s a nd f o rf u l l y e qu ip ped s c i e n t i f i c l a b o r a t or i e s .

The o r b i t e r ' s t h r e e main liquid rocket e n g i n e s eachhave a t h r u s t of 2 . 1 m i l l i o n N ( 470 , 000 l b . ) . Thev a r e f edp r o p e l l a n t s from t h e e x t e r n a l t a n k wh ich i s 47 m (154 f t . )l ong and 8 .7 m (28.6 f t . ) i n d i a m et e r.

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A t l i f t o f f , t h e t a n k h o l d s 7 0 3 , 0 0 0 kg ( 1 , 5 5 0 , 0 0 0 l b . )of p r o p e l l a n t s , c o n s i s t i n g of l i q u i d hydro ge n ( f u e l ) andl iq u id oxygen ( ox id iz e r ) . The hydrogen and oxygen a re i ns e p a r a t e p r e s s u r i z ed com part ment s of t h e t a n k . The e x t e r n a lt an k i s t h e o nl y p a r t of t h e S h u t t l e s y s t e m t h a t i s n o tr e u s a b l e .

T y p i c a l S h u t t l e M i ss io n

I n a t y p i c a l S h u t t l e m i ss io n which l a s t s f r o m s even t o30 d ay s , t h e o r b i t e r ' s main engines and t h e b o os t er i g n i t es i m ul t an e o us l y t o r o c k e t t h e S h u t t l e from t h e l a u n c h pad.Launches a r e from t h e John F. Kennedy Space Center i n F l or id af o r eas t -wes t o r b i t s o r Vandenberg A i r Force Base , C a l i f . ,f o r p o la r o r n o r t h - s o u t h o r b i t s .

A t a p red e t e r m i ned p o i n t , t h e two unmanned s ol id -r oc ke tb o o s t e r s se pa ra te fro m t h e o r b i t e r a nd p a r a c h u te t o th e seawhere t h e y a r e r e c ov er e d f o r r e u se . T h e o r b i t e r c o nt in ue si n t o s pa ce . I t j e t t i s o n s i t s e x t e r n a l p r o p e l l a n t ta n k j u s tbefore o r b i t i n g . The e x t e r n a l t a n k e n t e r s t h e a tm os ph er eand bre aks up over a remote ocean a re a .

I n o r b i t , the o r b i t e r u s e s i t s o r b i t a l maneuv er in g s u b-system (OMS) t o a d j u s t i t s p a t h , f o r r en de zv ou s o p e r a t i o n s ,and, a t t h e end of i t s m i s s i o n , f o r slowing down so a s t ohead back toward E a r t h .

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OMS p r o p e l l a n t s a re monomethyl hydrazine a s t h e f u e land n i t r o g e n t e t r o x i d e as t h e o x i d i z e r . They i g n i t e onc o n t a c t e l i m i n a t i n g t h e need f o r i g n i t i o n dev i c e s .

The o r b i t e r d oe s n o t n e c e s s a r i l y f o l l ow a b a l l i s t i cp a t h t o t he g r ound as di d p redece ssor manned spa cec ra f t .I t has a c r os s r a n ge c a p a b i l i t y ( c a n m aneuver t o t h e r i g h to r l e f t of i t s e n t r y p a t h) of about 2 , 0 3 5 k m ( 1 ,2 7 0 m i . ) .

The o r b i t e r t ouche s down l i k e an a i r p l a n e on a runwaya t Kennedy Space Center o r Vandenberg A i r Force B a s e . Land-ing speed i s about 335 k m p e r h o u r ( 2 1 0 m i . p e r h o u r ) . A f t e rapprox imate ly t w o weeks f o r r e f u rb i s h in g , t h e S h u t t l e i sr e a dy f o r a no the r s pa c e m i s s ion .

C r e w

T h e S h u t t l e c r e w c a n i nc lude a s many a s seven people :t h e commander, t he p i l o t , t h e m i s s ion s p e c i a l i s t who i sr e s p o n s i b l e f o r management of S h u t t l e equipm en t and r e s ou r c e ss uppo r t i ng pay loa ds du r ing t h e f l i g h t and o ne t o f o u r p ay lo ads p e c i a l i s t s who a r e i n c h a rg e o f s p e c i f i c pa yl oa d e qu ip me nt .The commander, p i l o t and m i s s ion s p e c i a l i s t are N A S A a s t r o -na u t s a nd a re ass ig ned by NASA. Payload s p e c i a l i s t s conductthe exper iments and may o r may no t be as t r on au ts .nominated by t h e p ay lo ad s p on so r and c e r t i f i e d f o r f l i g h tby N A S A .

They a r e

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Shutt le Management Team

NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Cen te r , Hous ton , Tex . ,

manages t h e Space S h u t t l e program and i s a l s o r e s p o n s i b lef o r d ev e lo pm e nt , p r o d u c t i on a n d d e l i v e r y o f t h e o r b i t e r .

NASA's George C . l i larshal l S pace F l i g h t C en t e r , H un ts -v i l l e , A l a . , i s r e s p o n s i b l e fox t h e d eve l op m en t, p r o d u c t i o nan d delivery of t h e s o l i d rocket booster, the e x k e r n a l pro-p e l l a n t t a n k and. o r b i t e r main e n g i n e s . T e s t f i r i n g s ofS h u t t l e e n g i n e s a re c a r r i e d o u t a t VASA ' S N at i o n a l S p aceTechnology L a b o r a t o r i e s , Bay S t , Lou is , Miss.

NASA's John F . Rennedv Space Center , F la . , Is respon-s i b l e fq r d e s i g n and development of l aunch and recov eryf a c i l i t i e s and f o r o p e ra t i o n al m i s si o ns r e u u i r i n g e a s t e r l yl au n ch es .

Thousands q f com pani es make u p t h e S h u t t l e c o n t r a c t o rteam. Thev a re l o c a t e d i n n e a r l y e v e ry one of t h e I J n i t edS t a t e s .

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J an u a r y 1977

Space Shuttle Coming of Age in Space

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