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vL NASA Washington, D. C.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Space Shut
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle, heart of NASA's
new Space Transportation System,
markedly expands man's ability
to do things in space at lower cost,
more often, and more effectively
than ever before.
The Shutt
Man, in less than one average (230,000 miles) in less than four Astronauts Young and Crippen
lifetime, progressed from his days - - while about 500 million circled the Earth 36 times per-
first powered flight of 37 meters people around the world watched forming engineering tests to
(120 feet) to a landing on the the event on television or listened validate all of Columbia's systems.
Moon. to it on radio. Fifty-four and one-half hours
Orville and Wilbur Wright Then, on April 12, 1981, a new after lifting off, and over 933,000
achieved sustained flight with a era in manned space flight began miles later, Columbia and i t s
powered aircraft for 12 seconds as America's first reusable Space crew made a spectacular landing
on December 17, 1903. A tele- Shuttle embarked on i t s maiden on a runway a t Dryden Flight
gram to their father was the voyage. Research Center in California.
initial notification to the world Manned by Astronauts John This landing culminated a 2%-day
of this event. Young, as commander, and mission described by Commander
Just 66 years later Neil Arm- Robert Crippen, as pilot, the Young as "a phenomenal mission
strong stepped onto the surface Shuttle was launched from in a fantastic flying machine."
of the Moon - - after a journey Kennedy Space Center's Launch The Space Shuttle Era had
of more than 370,140 kilometers Complex 39-A at 7 a.m. EST. begun.
No longer will astronauts
"throw away" most of the trans-
portation system that carries
them on their missions. The
Apollo-Saturn V stood 111 m.
(363 ft.) t a l l on the launch pad.
Only the Apollo Command
Module - - 3 m. (10 ft.) high - -
returned to Earth, and even it
was never reused.
The Space Shuttle heralds an
era in which space crews will use
the same craft again and again.
Like the conventional Earth-
bound carriers of today, (trucks,
ships and planes) which move

The crew of the first Shuttle

Left: Robert Crippen
Right: John Young
freight and passengers routinely Saturn V Launch Vehicle

between cities and nations,

Shuttle will offei- these same
workhorse capabilities t o space - -
lifting satellites, payloads and
men and women t o do work .
not possible on Earth. With
Shuttle, spaceflight will no
longer be restricted t o relatively
young men in peak physical
condition who have thick log
books of pilot time in jet air-
craft. Now men and women in
average physical condition can
anticipate being selected as
crew members.
Space Shutt Mission
The Space Shuttle is composed boosters can then be refurbished,
of the Orbiter, an External Tank refilled with propellants and
that contains all the propellant made ready for another Shuttle
used by the Orbiter's three main flight.) The Orbiter main engines
engines, and two Solid Rocket continue to burn until the vehicle
Boosters. The Orbiter and is just short of orbital velocity, a t
boosters are reusable; an Exter- which time the engines are shut
nal Tank is expended on each down and the External Tank
launch. jettisoned. During i t s plunge
A Space Shuttle mission be- through the atmosphere, the
gins with installation of the mis- tank breaks up and falls into a
sion payload into the Orbiter car- predetermined ocean area - - the
go bay. The Orbiter is then mated l ndian Ocean for launches from
to an assembled set of boosters Kennedy Space Center in Florida
and tank, and rolled out to the and the Pacific Ocean for launches
launch pad. A t liftoff the Solid from Vandenberg Air Force Base
Rocket Boosters and the Orbiter in California.
main engines fire together. The The Shuttle's small orbital
two Solid Rocket Boosters are maneuvering system engines are
jettisoned after burnout - - about then used to attain the desired
2 minutes and 12 seconds into orbit and to make any subse-
the flight and 44 km. (27.5 mi.) quent maneuvers that may be
high - - and recovered by means needed during the mission. The
of a parachute system. (The crew begins their payload opera-
tions on orbit by performing a Orbiter levels into horizontal
multitude of assigned tasks, de- flight a t low altitude for an un-
pending upon the purpose of the powered aircraft-type approach
mission. On some missions they and landing a t a speed of about
miaht
" -
be settinu out satellites in 335 km. (208 mi.) ~ e hour.r
orbit, or retrieving satellites for The primary shuttle landing
return t o Earth. Or they might facilities are at Kennedy and are
be servicing orbiting satellites, planned at Vandenberg, with
conducting experiments in space several alternate landing sites
that cannot be duplicated on available for contingencies, includ-
Earth, or studying the Earth and ing Edwards AFB, Calif., used for
deep space from their unique Orbital Flight Test Series landings.
vantaue - .~ o i nhiuh
t - above the After landing, the Orbiter is to
atmosphere.
After orbital operations are
completed, normally about seven
days, deorbiting maneuvers are
initiated. The Orbiter begins t o
reenter the Earth's atmosphere
at a nose-high angle of attack.
During reentry, portions of the
Orbiter exterior reach tempera-
tures up t o 1,260 degrees Celsius
(2,300 degrees Fahrenheit). The
 Orbiter Enterprise arrives at the Marshall
Center for ground vibration testing

Orbiter
The Orbiter is the plane-like tical properties that reflect the accommodations. The Orbiter
element that carries the crew solar radiation. carries a crew of two pilots, one
and the payloads for the Space On the bottom of the Orbiter or more mission specialist astro-
Shuttle. About the size of a and on the leading edge of the nauts and as many as four addi-
commercial DC-9 jet airliner, tail, a high temperature reusable tional payload and technical
the Orbiter can deliver to orbit surface insulation, made of coated personnel occupying a two-level
single or multiunit payloads up silica tiles, is used to protect the cabin within the crew module a t
to 29,484 kilograms (65,000 aluminum structure up to 1,260 the forward end of the vehicle.
pounds) in i t s huge 4.5 by 18 m. degrees C (2,300 degrees F). The The maximum crew is seven. The
(15 by 60 ft.) cargo bay. I t can high temperature coating gives a cabin, a combination living, work-
bring back payloads weighing glossy black appearance. ing, and storage area, is pressurized
up to 14,515 kg. (32,000 Ibs). A reinforced carbon-carbon with a nitrogenloxygen mixture
The Orbiter's main structural material is used for the nose cap to an atmospheric pressure of
elements are constructed pri- and the wing leading edges where 10.1 Newtons per square centi-
marily of aluminum. They are the temperatures will exceed meter (14.7 pounds per square
the forward fuselage, which 1,260 degrees C (2,300 degrees F) inch) to simulate sea level condi-
contains the crew module; the during reentry. tions. (Prior U.S. manned space
mid fuselage, which includes the An important feature of the flight used an atmosphere at a pres-
payload bay doors; the aft fuse- Orbiter is the crew and passenger sure of 3.45 Nlsq. cm. (5.00 p.s.i.).
lage, including the engine thrust
structure; the wing; and the
vertical tail.
The Orbiter's exterior is
covered with thermal protective
materials to protect the space-
craft from solar radiation and
the extreme heat of atmospheric
reentry.
Two types of reusable surface
insulation, coated silica tiles and
coated flexible sheets, cover the
top and sides of the Orbiter. The
tiles protect the Orbiter surfaces
up to 649 degrees C (1,200 de-
grees F), and the flexible insula-
tion protects the Orbiter up to
371 degrees C (700 degrees F).
The coating on both types of
insulation gives the Orbiter a
nearly white color and has op-
 RUDDER1
SPEED BRAKE

FORWARD REACTION AFT REACTION

CONTROL SYSTEM CONTROL
MODULE SYSTEM

MAIN ENGBNES
BODY FLAP

ELEVONS

NOSE LANDING GEAR --1 SIDE HATCH MAIN LANDING GEAR

The upper section, or the flight the pay loads is necessary. The
deck, contains the controls and astronauts or payload specialists
displays used to pilot, monitor will exit the Orbiter through an
and control orbital maneuvering, airlock and hatch in the lower
atmospheric reentry and landing deck. It is also through this hatch
phases of the mission and to con- that the scientists for the Space-
trol the mission payloads. The lab missions will enter the pres-
commander and pilot are seated surized Spacelab module carried
on this deck in the usual pilot/ in the Shuttle payload bay.
copilot arrangement with dupli- Beneath the lower deck is
cate controls that permit the environmental control equipment
Orbiter to be piloted from either which is readily accessible through
seat and returned to Earth by removable floor panels. The en-
one crew member in an emer- vironmental control system sup-
gency. Two others may be plies the flight crew and passengers
seated behind them on this deck. with a comfortable and safe en-
Seating for three passengers or vironment, maintaining the proper
scientists, and the habitability atmospheric pressure, humidity,
provisions are on the lower level carbon dioxide level and tempera-
or deck. The habitability pro- tures, and removing odors from the
visions include a galley for food cabin area.
preparation (an oven and hot Electrical power for the Space
and cold water dispensers for Shuttle and i t s payloads is genera-
the preparation of rehydratable ted by three fuel cells that use
freeze-dried foods), an eating cryogenically-stored hydrogen
area, personal hygiene facilities and oxygen. The fuel cells are
for either male or female crew in the forward end of the Orbiter
members/passengers, and sleep- midfuselage. During peak and
ing accommodations. average power conditions, all
For a rescue mission, the lower three fuel cells are used; during
deck can be configured to provide minimum power conditions,
still three more seats by replacing only two fuel cells are used.
the sleeping provisions with seat- The quantities of fuel (hydro-
ing. Also to support a rescue mis- gen and oxygen) normally carried
sion, all Shuttle flights will carry by the Orbiter will be enough to
extravehicular activity (EVA) generate about 1,530 kilowatt
provisions for two EVA-trained hours of energy. The amount
crewmen. includes 50 k.w.h. of energy
EVAs are planned on missions required by a typical payload
where access to the cargo bay and for a seven-day mission. I f
additional power is needed, sion the Orbiter will provide kph (208 mph), faster than most
separate fuel kits may be carried direct voice, command, tele- aircraft.
aboard, each kit supplying metry, and television commu- The development of the Orbiter
enough fuel for an additional nications with the ground is the responsibility of the John-
840 k.w.h. of energy. crew, crewmen on EVA, and son Space Center. Rockwell
A byproduct of the chemical with detached payloads through International Space Division is
conversion of hydrogen and oxy- its communications system and performing the design, develop-
gen to obtain electrical energy is a network of ground stations ment, and test of the Orbiter
the production of water. All the and communications satellites. and its integration with other
water for human consumption Three main propulsion rocket elements of the Shuttle. Sub-
aboard the Shuttle is supplied engines used during launch are in contractors to Rockwell are
from the byproducts of the fuel the aft fuselage. Two orbital manufacturingsome of the
cells. maneuvering rockets in external major Orbiter subassemblies with
The broad spectrum of Shuttle pods on the aft fuselage provide final assembly being performed
missions requires the Orbiter to thrust for orbit insertion, orbit a t Rockwell's Palmdale, Calif.
accommodate many different changes, rendezvous, and return facilities. Each completed Orbiter
payloads. Numerous points to Earth. Reaction control is transported, in its operational
along the sides and bottom of thrusters in the two orbital configuration, from its final
the cargo bay provide the places maneuvering system pods and assembly site to either the
for payload attachment. Nearly in a module in the nose section Kennedy Space Center or Van-
all of the Orbiter systems are of the forward fuselage provide denberg Air Force Base launch
also involved to some degree in attitude control in space and sites, atop a modified Boeing
accommodating the variety of precision velocity changes for 747 airplane. This same mode of
satellites and payloads that will the final phases of rendezvous transportation can be used to
be carried. Also available for and docking, or orbit modifica- transfer Orbiters between launch
use on selected missions are de- tion. The reaction control sites and to retrieve an Orbiter
vices to manipulate payloads in thrusters, in conjunction with that has landed a t an auxiliary
and out of the Orbiter bay, kits the Orbiter's aerodynamic landing field.
to supply additional power control surfaces, also provide
needed by a particular payload, attitude control of the Orbiter
and kits to provide additional during reentry. The reaction
crew-related equipment and control system controls the
consumables. This flexibility Orbiter a t high altitude and ve-
gives the Orbiter the capability to locity, and the aerodynamic con-
carry virtually all of the U.S. trol surfaces provide control of
planned payloads of the 1980s. the Orbiter a t speeds less than
The Orbiter's communication Mach 2.
antennas, about 20 of them, are The Orbiter is equipped with
flush mounted on the forward an automatic landing system. It
fuselage. Throughout the mis- will land a t speeds of about 335
 Main Propulsion System
testing at NSTL

Space Shutt e Main Engine

The Space Shuttle Main En- Many unique and innovative
gine, which powers the Space features have been designed into
Shuttle, along with two Solid the engine to satisfy the perfor-
Rocket Boosters, is the most mance, life, reliability, and main-
advanced liquid-fueled rocket tainability requirements of the
engine ever built. It features Shuttle. One of these features
variable thrust permitting includes the use of a staged com-
the engine thrust to be tailored bustion power cycle coupled
to mission needs, and can oper- with high combustion chamber
ate effectively a t both high and pressures. In the staged com-
low altitudes. It has the highest bustion cycle, liquid hydrogen
thrust for i t s weight of any en- is partially burned at high pres-
gine yet developed and can oper- sure and relatively low tempera-
ate up to 7.5 hours of accumu- ture in preburners and then com-
lated firing time before major pletely combusted at high tem-
maintenance or overhaul. The perature and pressure in a main
Main Engine is reusable for up combustion chamber before ex-
to 55 separate Shuttle missions. panding through the high-area-
Three main engines are ratio nozzle. The rapid mixing
mounted on the Orbiter aft fuse- of the propellants under these
lage in a triangular pattern. The conditions is so complete that a
engines are so designed and combustion efficiency of about
mounted that they can be gim- 99 percent is attained. The en-
balled or pointed directionally gine also uses i t s super-cold hy-
during flight. Thus, in conjunc- drogen fuel to cool all combus-
tion with the two Solid Rocket tion devices in direct contact
Boosters, they are used to steer with high-temperature combus-
the Shuttle as well as boost it tion products, such as the bell-
into orbit. like engine nozzles, thereby
Propellants for the engines, contributing to the long engine
liquid hydrogen and liquid oxy- life.
gen, are carried in the large Ex- During engine operation or
ternal Tank, the largest element testing, engineers frequently talk
of the Space Shuttle. Propellants in terms of three primary levels
can be supplied to the engines a t of thrust or power - - minimum, Single engine testing
a rate of about 17 1,396 liters rated and full power. Engine
(45,283 gallons) per minute of thrust, however, can be varied
hydrogen and about 63,588 liters throughout the range from
(16,800 gal.) per minute of minimum to full power level de-
oxygen. pending upon mission needs.
Most Shuttle flights will be ing from the External Tank and liquid hydrogen and part of the
launched a t rated power level, or are secured in a fixed position by liquid oxygen is burned at a
100 percent of rated thrust, with Shuttle Orbiter structural mem- low mixture ratio to produce
each engine developing 2,090,560 bers. The discharge (output) of hydrogen-rich steam that drives
N. (470,000 Ibs,) of thrust a t al- each low pressure pump is con- the two high pressure turbopumps.
titude or 1,668,000 N. (375,000 nected to the inlet of the corres- The main injector mixes and
Ibs.) a t sea level. On Shuttle ponding high pressure pump by distributes the propellants into
flights where heavy payloads lines (ducts) that have flexible the main combustion chamber
dictate an extra measure of joints to allow the deflection re- where the high pressure com-
power, up to 109 percent of quired during engine movement bustion takes place. The com-
rated thrust can be commanded. for steering. The high pressure bustion gases are then exhausted
This level is called "full power." pumps are also 180 degrees apart through the 77.5: 1 area ratio
During the latter part of ascent, and are mounted on the engine nozzle.
engine thrust is reduced to en- between the low pressure pumps. The structural backbone of
sure that an acceleration force The preburners comprise the the engine is the hot-gas mani-
of no more than three times that first stage in the engine's staged- fold which supports the two
of Earth's gravity is reached. combustion cycle. Here, all the preburners, the high pressure
This acceleration level, permitted
by the throtrleable Shuttle en-
gines, is about one-third the
acceleration experienced on pre-
vious manned space flight and is
well under the physical stress LOW-PRESSURE
limits of non-astronaut scientists r GIMBAL BEARING FUEL DUCT --r

who will fly aboard the Shuttle. LOW.PRESSURE

FUEL TURBOPU
The lowest thrust throttle setting, HIGH-PRESSURE.
FUEL TURBOPUMP
the minumum power level, equals
65 percent of rated power.
Among the key components
of the engine are i t s four turbo-
pumps (two iow pressure and
two high pressure), two preburn-
ers, the main injector, the main
combustion chamber, the nozzle,
and the hot-gas manifold.
The low pressure fuel turbo-
pump and the low pressure oxi-
dizer turbopump, set 180 degrees
apart on the engine, are joined to
the Shuttle propellant lines com-
pumps, the main injector, the and control system simulation
pneumatic control assembly, and a t Marshall Center facilities; and
the main combustion chamber engine test firings for develop-
with the nozzle. ment and flight acceptance a t
Attached to the dome-injector, the National Space Technology
the gimbal bearing functions as Laboratories INSTL) near Bay
the thrust point between the St. Louis, Miss., and at Rocket-
engine and the Orbiter and dyne's Santa Susana facility in
permits the engine to be swivelled California.
for Shuttle steering. Each engine, prior to flight,
The Shuttle main engine is the is test fired on a NASA static
first rocket engine to use a built- test stand a t NSTL.
in electronic digital controller.
The controller accepts commands
from the Orbiter for engine start,
shutdown, and change in throttle
setting and also monitors engine
operation. In the event of a
failure the controller will take
action automatically to correct
the problem or shut down the
engine safely.
The development responsi-
bility for the engines is assigned
to the Marshall Space Flight Cen-
ter at Huntsville, Ala., with the
Rocketdyne Division of Rock-
well International in Canoga
Park, Calif., performing the de-
sign, production and test func-
tions. The electronic controller
is developed by Honeywell, Inc.,
of Minneapolis, Minn., as a sub-
contractor to Rocketdyne.
Testing of the engine and com-
ponents is conducted a t several
locations: component testing a t
the contractors' facilities; com-
bustion chamber life cycle and
augmented spark igniter testing
 Recovery of boosters at

Solid Rocket Booster

Two Solid Rocket Boosters are thrust imbalances between boost- from the External Tank by pyro-
used for each Space Shuttle flight ers used for a single Shuttle flight. technic (explosive) devices and
to help provide the initial ascent Propellant loading is also done in moved away from the Shuttle
thrust to lift the Shuttle with its such a manner using different in- vehicle by eight separation roc-
payload from the launch pad to ternal propellant shapes, called ket motors, four housed in the
an altitude of about 44 km. (27.5 cores, so as to cause a regressive forward nose frustum and four
mi.). Prior to launch, the entire thrust approximately 55 seconds on the aft skirt. Each of the
Shuttle weight is supported by into the Shuttle flight to prevent eight separation motors develops
the two boosters. overstressing the Shuttle vehicle a thrust of 97,856 N. (22,000
The Solid Rocket Booster is during the critical phase of flight Ibs.) for a duration of a little
made up of six subsystems: the called the period of maximum more than one-half second, just
solid rocket motor, structures, dynamic pressure. This is referred enough to move the boosters
thrust vector control, separation, to as "Max 0." Each motor, away from the still-accelerating
recovery and electrical and in- when assembled, contains about Orbiter and External Tank. Also
strumentation subsystems. The 503,600 kg. (1.1 million Ibs.) of a part of the system is a device
overall length of the Solid Rocket propellant and, a t launch, will for separating electrical inter-
Booster is 45.5 m. (149.1 ft.), develop a thrust of 12.9 million N. connection with the External
and the diameter i s 3.7 m. (12.2 (2.9 million Ibs). Tank.
ft.). The exhaust nozzle in the aft The Solid Rocket Booster re-
The heart of each booster is segment of each motor helps covery subsystem provides the
the motor, the largest solid rocket steer the Shuttle during flight. It method to control the boosters'
motor ever flown and the first can be moved up to 6.65 degrees final descent velocity and attitude
designed for reuse. It is made up by the booster's hyd~aulically after separation. The recovery
of 11 segments joined together operated thrust vector control subsystem, located in the forward
to make four loading segments subsystem which is controlled by section of each booster and with-
which are filled with propellant the Orbiter's guidance and control in the nose cap, consists of para-
at the manufacturer's site. The computer. chutes and location aids to help
segmented design permits ease Throughout flight, measure- in the search and retrieval opera-
of fabrication, handling and ments are taken to verify proper tions for each expended booster
transportation. The segments booster performance, and the and its parachutes after they
are shipped from the manu- signals are routed to the Orbiter reach the ocean.
facturer's plant to the launch for data recording and trans- Following separation and entry
sites by rail in specially built mission to the ground. Electrical into the lower atmosphere a t
canisters carried on flat rail cars. power for Solid Rocket Booster about 4,700 m. (15,400 ft.), each
There they are assembled to subsystems is supplied from the booster is,slowed by a pilot and a
make up a complete motor. Orbiter fuel cells through inter- drogue parachute and finally by
Propellant loading of the connect cabling from the Ex- three main parachutes, each
motor segments is completed in ternal Tank. 31.7 m. (115 ft.) in diameter.
pairs from batches of propellant At burnout, the two Solid They impact the water, a f t end
ingredients to minimize any Rocket Boosters are separated first, about 257.5 km. (160 mi.)
 NOZZLE EXTENSION
7

FRUSTUM FORWARD MOTOR SYSTEMS TWO CASE

SEGMENT TUNNEL STIFFENER AFT SKIRT
RINGS

downrange a t a speed of about The structural elements of the

95.5 kmlhr (60 mph). By enter- booster are manufactured to
ing the water this way, the air Marshall design by the McDonnell
in the hollow boosters is trapped Douglas Astronautics Co. of
and compressed, causing the Huntington Beach, Calif.
boosters to float with the for- United Space Boosters, Inc.,
ward end sticking up out of the Huntsville, Ala., is responsible
water. At booster impact, the for preassembly and checkout of
main parachutes are disconnected the forward and aft skirt booster
and direction-finding beacons assemblies as well as final assembly
and lights are actuated t o guide of the complete boosters.
recovery craft to the booster and A t the launch site, the two
the parachutes. The parachutes boosters are assembled vertically
are picked up by a recovery on the launch platform. Follow-
craft and the boosters towed t~ ing assembly sf the boosters, the
shoi-e, where they are disassembled External Tank is attached to the
for refurbishment. The motor boosters and finally the Orbiter
segments are shipped to the manu- and payload to the External Tank,
facturer by rail for refurbishment making the Shuttle ready for
and reloading for another Shuttle checkout and flight.
flight. The other systems are re-
furbished a t either the launch
site or a t their respective manu- Solid rocket propellant
facturer's location. being mixed
The thrust vector control sub-
system, structural subsystem, and
the electrical subsystems are
planned for 20 flights and the re-
covery subsystem for 10 flights.
The separation system is not
planned for reuse.
The Marshall Space Flight Center
performed the detailed design and
integration work on the Solid Rock-
et ~oostersubsystems "in-house."
Boosters are assembled
in a vertical position
The motor was developed by the
Wasatch Division of the Thiokol
Chemical Corp. of Brigham City,
Utah, which provides new and re-
furbished motors for flight.
 Inside of a liquid hydrogen tank
during assembly a t Michoud

Externa
The External Tank has two stored 106,142 kg. (234,000 Ibs.)
major roles in the Space Shuttle of cold liquid hydrogen (about
program. First, to contain and minus 251 degrees C or minus
deliver quality propellants, liquid 420 degrees F).
hydrogen and liquid oxygen, to The intertank joins the two
the engines. Second, to serve as tanks and provides a protective
the structural backbone of the compartment to house some of
Space Shuttle during launch the instrumentation components
operations. It is the only major in the space between the two
element of the Shuttle not propellant tanks.
designed to be reused. For launch, the External Tank
The External Tank is composed supports the Orbiter and Solid
of two tanks, a large hydrogen Rockets Boosters a t attach points
tank and a'smaller oxygen tank, on the tank. Since thrust is
joined together by a collar-like generated by the Orbiter main
intertank to form one large pro- engines and the Solid Rocket
pellant storage container 46.89 m. Boosters, the External Tank
(153.84 ft.) long and 8.4 m. must absorb the thrust loads for
(27.58 ft.) in diameter. the Shuttle during launch. The
The oxygen tank is the forward intertank takes the major thrust
portion of the External Tank and loads from the Solid Rocket
when loaded, contains 632,772 Booster, and the Orbiter main
(1,395,000 Ibs.) of liquid oxygen. engine thrust loads are transferred
(As a comparison, the oxygen through other attach fittings on
tank has 552 cubic meters or the tank.
19,563 cubic feet - - more volume Most of the outer surfaces of
than that of a 186 sq.m. or 2,000 the tank are protected thermally.
sq. ft. house.) Spray-on foam insulation is
The forward end of the oxygen applied over the forward portion
tank curves to a point to reduce of the oxygen tank, the inter-
aerodynamic drag and i t s tip tank, and the sides of the hydro-
serves as a lightning rod for the gen tank. The foam insulation is
Shuttle vehicle once the Shuttle needed to reduce ice or frost for-
has cleared the launch pad. Prior mation on the tank during launch
to launch, lightning protection preparation, thus protecting the
is provided by the launch tower. Orbiter insulation from free-
The liquid hydrogen tank, aft falling ice during flight. It also
of the oxygen tank, is about two serves to minimize heat leaks
' and one-half times larger than the into the tank which would cause
oxygen tank. In this tank is excessive boiling of the liquid
 FORWARD ATTACH
INTEGRAL STRINGERS

BAFFLES

PLATE

propellants, and to prevent phase of a Shuttle mission when sites. For shipment to Vanden-
liquification and solidification the Orbiter is just short of orbital berg a barge capable of hauling
of the air next to the tank. velocity the main engines are cut more than one External Tank
An ablating material that off. About 10 seconds later, the will be used.
chars away, taking heat with it, External Tank is severed from its During transportation, the
is applied under the foam to the attachment to the Orbiter, play- External Tank rests on a wheeled
front and back ends of the Ex- ing a totally passive role in the transporter, modified from the
ternal Tank and to other areas separation sequence. Just prior Saturn Program, and remains on
where aerodynamic heating is to separation the External Tank the transporter until it arrives a t
most severe during flight. tumbling system is activated the Vehicle Assembly Building
This protection is also needed in opening a valve and venting the at the Kennedy Center or a t the
areas where exhausts of launch oxygen tank through the nose launch pad a t Vandenberg.
engines provide high radiant cap. This causes the External A barge takes about five days
energy to the tank and where Tank to tumble a t a rate that will to move an External Tank from
separation motors' exhaust assure the tank will break up as Michoud to the Kennedy dock.
plumes may strike the tank. predicted upon reentry and fall Shipment to California by barge
The External Tank, having no within the designated ocean is by way of the Panama Canal -
electrical power sources of i t s impact area. and will take about 25 days.
own, obtains all needed electrical The External Tank i s manu- After arrival a t the launch site,
energy from the Orbiter fuel cells. factured, assembled and given the tanks are stored until needed
It does, however, provide the final acceptance testing a t the for flight - vertically in the VAB
cabling needed to carry power Michoud Assembly Facility a t Kennedy and horizontally on
and signals to the External Tank (MAF) in New Orleans, a the transporter at Vandenberg.
electronics and instrumentation Marshall Space Flight Center
components and to the two plant once used to build the
Solid Rocket Boosters. first stages of the Saturn I B and
Fluid controls and valves, ex- Saturn V launch vehicles for
cept the vent valves, for opera- the Apollo and Skylab Programs.
tion of the engines are located in The tanks are built a t Michoud
the Orbiter. This is done to mini- by the Denver Division of Mar-
mize throw-away costs since the tin Marietta Aerospace.
External Tank is not reused. when production reaches
During flight the two tanks are maximum, the tanks will be
pressurized by gases supplied produced at a rate of about 55
from the three engines. Pressuri- tanks per year. The barge trans-
zation is needed for structural portation system that was
support of the tank and also for developed to deliver NASA's
operating-pressure requirements Saturn stages to Kennedy is
of the engine pumps. used for the delivery of the
Near the end of the launch External Tank to the launch
 The Space Shuttle has the capa- by II European nations under pulsion stage in addition to the
bility to conduct a wide variety the guidance of the European Shuttle.
of space missions in response to Space Agency and supported by The Space Shuttle will deliver
national and worldwide needs. NASA with the Marshall Space the payload, with a propulsion
The primary mission for the Flight Center performing as the stage attached, t o low Earth orbit
Space Shuttle is the low-cost lead center. Spacelab, carried and will stand by until the stage
delivery of payloads to and from into space in the Orbiter cargo boosts the payload to the desired
'
Earth orbit. The Shuttle system bay, will be adaptable to many orbit. Initially, Inertial Upper
can place payloads of up to types of space operations, ac- Stages are being developed for
29,484 kg. (65,000 Ibs.) into commodating up t~ four non- such non-planetary missions. An
low Earth orbit and return pay- astronaut scientists t o conduct advanced reusable orbiter transfer
loads up to 14,515 kg. (32,000 a myriad of experiments in a vehicle is also being studied by
Ibs). Payloads with propulsion true space environment - - Earth Marshall.
stages can place satellites into observations, space technology, Yet another payload of major
high Earth orbit or into lunar biological studies and others. In significance is the Marshall Cen-
or planetary trajectories. addition to i t s Spacelab develop- ter's proposed Space Platform,
Already planned for Shuttle ment role, the Marshall Center an experiment-supporting system
are payloads that will help to will manage the first three that would be carried into orbit
further improve weather fore- missions, now set to begin in by the Shuttle in the late 1980s.
casting and communications and 1983. The platform is designed to fill
Earth-observation satellites that Another significant payload for the growing needs of the scientific
will permit a continuous inven- the mid-1980s i s the Space Tele- and industrial communities who
tory of the world's natural re- scope, being developed by the require longer orbiting times,
sources and permit them to be Marshall Center and associates as greater power and other services
applied more effectively to an optical telescope that will be for their research and observa-
meeting human needs. Other placed in orbit enabling scientists tions in space. One of the pri-
Shuttle payloads will continue to see deep into space - - seven
to obtain information on the times farther than ever before.
chemistry and physics of the The Shuttle will place the un-
Sun, stars, planets, and the manned telescope in orbit and
space through which Earth is later serve as a base from which
traveling. Still others will ex- astronauts may make repairs and
tend into space man's earth- possibly replace instrument pack-
bound research in such areas as ages for new experiments.
medicine, biology, chemistry, Major payload activity is also
physics, and material manufac- forecast for geosynchronous or-
turing processes. bits, deep-space missions, ellip-
Foremost among the planning tical orbits and higher circular
is Spacelab, a fully-equipped orbits. Payloads with such
space laboratory being developed destinations will require a pro- Spacelab 2 Configuration
Far left: Space Telescope

Center left: Spacelab

Left: Building Space Structures

mary advantages of the platform

i s that it can provide power for
'
long periods of time, either to
experiments on board the Shuttle
or to those left attached to the
platform after the Shuttle re-
turns to Earth. The initial plat-
form would provide 12 kw. of
power and would have growth
capability to a t least twice that
amount, but future designs may
provide as much as 100 kw. or
more. By the early 1990s the
platform may even evolve to a
manned version, in which rotating
crews would permanently live
and work in space.
The Space Shuttle will not be
limited to uses that can be fore-
cast today. The reduction in the Spacelab 1 Payload Specialists in the
Marshall Center Mockup
cost of Earth-orbital operations
and the new operational tech- cal processes that will allow man
niques will enable new and un- to develop unlimited pollution-
foreseen solutions of problems. free power, and t o attain knowl-
Some of these could be the edge that will lead to new prod-
key to understanding the physi- ucts and industries.

Spacelab 1 Configuration Spacelab Habitable Module Inertial Upper Stage

Launch Operations
Space Shuttle flights will be
launched from two locations:
Kennedy Space Center in Florida
and Vandenberg Air Force Base
in California. These sites were
selected based upon both NASA
and Department of Defense
(DOD) needs for projected pay-
loads and requirements for no
land mass overflight dliring the
launch of the Shuttle. Kennedy
is used t o launch both NASA
and DOD payloads into orbits of
39 to 57 degrees inclination with
respect to the equator, and Van-
denberg will be used for launches
with orbital inclinations from the payload launch capabilities of
56 to 104 degrees. (A due east the Shuttle. A due east launch
launch from Kennedy would from Kennedy, using the Earth's
yield an orbit of about 28.5 easterly rotation as a launch assist,
degrees inclination while a due will permit a payload weighing up
south launch from Vandenberg t o 29,484 kg. (65,000 Ibs.) to be
would yield an orbit of 90 de- launched. A polar orbit launch
grees, or a polar orbit.) Range from Vandenberg, where the
safety criteria restrict the launch Earth's rotation neither assists nor
directions (azimuths) from each hinders the Shuttle's capabilities,
launch site to preclude a released will permit a payload of up to
tank or booster from impacting 18,144 kg. (40,000 Ibs.) to be
a land area. From Kennedy the carried into orbit. The most
northernmost azimuth is limited westerly launch from Vandenberg
by the southeast portion of will allow a payload up to only
Newfoundland; and the southern- 14,5 15 kg. (32,000 Ibs.) to be
most azimuth is limited by the transported to orbit since the
Bahama Islands. From Vanden- Earth's rotation is counter to
berg, the land constraints include the westerly launch azimuth.
portions of Mexico t o the south-
east and the Hawaiian Islands to
the southwest.
The direction of Earth rotation
also has a significant bearing on
Ground Turnaround
The ground turnaround cycle Assembly and checkout of Launch pad operations include
for Shuttle starts on the runway the Space Shuttle vehicle begins rollout of the vehicle, connection
after the Orbiter has landed. with mating of the two Solid of the pad interfaces, launch
Preliminary safing and servic- Rocket Booster motor segments readiness checkout, countdown
ing tasks are completed on the on the mobile launch platform. preparations, loading of cryo-
runway before the Orbiter is The External Tank, having pre- genics, flight crew ingress, and
towed to the safing and deser- viously undergone i t s premate the final automatic countdown
vicing area where DO0 payloads processing in the VAB, is then sequencing.
are removed, pressurized con- moved to the assembly area Operations a t Vandenberg
tainers and fuel cell reactants and mated to the two Solid will be generally similar, although
(oxygen and hydrogen) are Rocket Boosters. The Orbiter different facilities will be used.
vented, and the hazardous fuel is then towed into the VAB When Shuttle becomes fully
modules are removed. At the transfer aisle, i t s landing gear operational it will be capable of
Kennedy Center, the Orbiter is retracted, and it is lifted into a 14-day turnaround at Kennedy,
is then transferred to a main- positionaand mated with the from landing to lift-off. The turn-
tenance and checkout facility External Tank to complete the around figure is based upon 160
where it undergoes inspection, Shuttle assembly. The connec- working hours, amounting to two
maintenance, limited servicing, tions are verified in the Shuttle shifts a day, five days a week,
and checkout, e.g., inspection interface test, and ordnance is for two weeks. Vandenberg opera-
of the insulation. added to the Shuttle for separa- tion will take slightly longer, or
New payloads are then installed tion and range safety functions. about 205 hours.
in the Orbiter in preparation for
premate checkout of the Orbiter
prior to vehicle assembly. (Cer.
tain time-critical payloads or
hazardous payloads, and all
DOD payloads, will be installed
on the launch pad using the
Payload Changeout Room a t
the pad.) The hypergolic
modules (hazardous fuels for
reaction control, power units,
maneuvering systems, etc.)
which have undergone separate
inspection, maintenance and
checkout a t the hypergolic
Orbiter Processing Facility Checkout on the Pad
servicing facility are installed
before the Orbiter is transferred
to the Vehicle Assembly Build-
ing (VAB).
The Shutt e Deve opment Team
Management of the Space ORBITER
Shuttle Program is shared by PRIME CONTRACTOR - Rockwell International, Space Division, Downey, Calif.
NASA Headquarters, the three
SUBCONTRACTS
NASA centers involved in
manned space flight and many Wing - Grumman Aerospace, Bethpage, N. Y.
aerospace contractors. Overall Vertical f a i l - Fairchild Republic, Farmingdale, N. Y.
direction of the Shuttle Program M i d Fuselage - General Dynamics, San Diego, Calif.
is the responsibility of NASA Reusable Surface Insulation - Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., Sunnyvale, Calif.
Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Orbital Maneuvering System - McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., St. Louis. Mo.
Johnson Space Center is responsi- Orbital Maneuvering Engines - Aerojet Liquid Rocket Co., Sacramento, Calif.
ble for program management and EXTERNAL TANK
systems integration and is also
the development center for the PRIME CONTRACTOR - Martin Marietta Aerospace, Denver, Colo.

Orbiter. The Marshall Center is SUBCONTRACTS

responsible for development of lntertank - Avco Corp., Nashville, Tenn.
the External Tank, Solid Rocket
Dome Caps - General Dynamics, San Diego, Calif.
Booster and the Shuttle main Ogive and Dome Gores - Aircraft Hydroforming, Gardena, Calif.
engines, as well as certain systems
Tank Weld Tools - L T V Aerospace, Dallas, Tex.
test and integration functions. GorelDome Weld Tools - The Boeing Company, Seattle, Wash.
The Kennedy Space Center
serves as the launch and landing SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER
site for missions requiring PRIMARY MANAGEMENT - Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
easterly launches. The Defense SUBCONTRACTS
Department will operate the Assembly and Checkout - United States Boosters Inc., Huntsville, Ala.
Vandenberg AFB launch and Solid Rocket Motor - Thiokol Corp., Brigham City, Utah
landing site. Structures - McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co., Huntington Beach, Calif.
Hundreds of private firms, Decelerator Subsystem - Martin Marietta Aerospace, Denver, Colo.
educational institutions, research Integrated Electronics Assembly - Bendix Corp., Teterboro, N. J.
organizations and federal agencies Booster Separation Motor - United Technology Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif.
were involved in creating the Parachutes - Pioneer Parachute Co., Manchester, Conn.
Space Shuttle. Some firms
SPACE SHUTTLE M A I N ENGINE
supplied small items such as nuts
and bolts; others provided com- PRIME CONTRACTOR - Rockweli International, Rocketdyne Div., Canoga Park, Calif.
plete systems. The Shuttle
SUBCONTRACTS
prime contractors and some key
subcontractors are included in Controller - Honeywell Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.
the following list. Hydraulic Actuator System - Hydraulic Research, Valencia, Calif.
a U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1982 384-715
20