NASA's Space Shuttle (NASA History Series Book 407) (English Edition) [Kindle-editie] beoordelingen het boek quotes

Early NASA book illustrating what the Space Shuttle Program was intended to be. The contemporary overview contrasts NASA’s early vision with the reality of the actual program. The Space Shuttle took shape and won support, and criticism, as part of NASA's search for a post-Apollo future. This book portrays NASA’s search for continued manned space exploration after the success of Apollo. The Space Shuttle is a reuseable human spaceflight vehicle capable of reaching low Earth orbit. The vehicle consisted of a spaceplane for orbit and re-entry, fueled by an expendable liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen tank, with reusable strap-on solid booster rockets. Major missions included launching numerous satellites and interplanetary probes, conducting space science experiments, and servicing and construction of space stations. At launch, it consisted of the "stack", including a dark orange-colored external tank; two white, slender Solid Rocket Boosters; and the Orbiter Vehicle, which contained the crew and payload. The Shuttle stack launched vertically like a conventional rocket. It lifted off under the power of its two SRBs and three main engines, which were fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen from the external tank. The Space Shuttle had a two-stage ascent. The SRBs provided additional thrust during liftoff and first-stage flight. The Shuttle orbiter and external tank continued to ascend on an increasingly horizontal flight path under power from its main engines. The orbiter carried people and payloads such as satellites or space station parts into low Earth orbit, the Earth's upper atmosphere or thermosphere. Usually, five to seven crew members rode in the orbiter. When the orbiter's space mission was complete, it fired its OMS thrusters to drop out of orbit and re-enter the lower atmosphere. During descent, the orbiter passed through different layers of the atmosphere and decelerated from hypersonic speed primarily by aerobraking. In the lower atmosphere and landing phase, it was more like a glider but with reaction control system (RCS) thrusters and fly-by wire-controlled hydraulically-actuated flight surfaces controlling its descent. It landed on a long runway as a spaceplane. The aerodynamic shape was a compromise between the demands of radically different speeds and air pressures during re-entry, hypersonic flight, and subsonic atmospheric flight. 143 pages, over 100 color photos and illustration. Hyperlinked contents for easy navigation.ContentsSpace Shuttle Program OverviewEarly historyDescriptionOrbiter vehicleExternal tankSolid rocket boostersSpacelab LM2Flight systemsUpgradesMission profileShuttle disastersRetirementForeword: A New Era in SpaceSpace Shuttle System and Mission ProfileCrew and Passenger AccommodationsWide Variety of MissionsPlacement and recovery of SatellitesSpace in Everyday LivingEarthly Benefits TodayEarth ScienceCommunicationsHealth CareMaterials and ManufacturingSpace Shuttle VehicleOrbiterExternal TankSolid Rocket BoostersOrbiter Main PropulsionOrbital Reaction Control SystemOrbiter Maneuvering SubsystemOrbiter Thermal Protection SystemPayload AccommodationsCrew and Cabin AccommodationsExtravehicular ActivitiesPower SystemsEnvironmental ControlAtmospheric Revitalization SystemAvionicsEconomic Impact of Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Participants