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Rocket-plane concept
The concept of a reusable plane-like spacecraft was proposed in 1933, when German rocket scientist Dr. Eugen Sänger published a book called 'Raketenflugtechnik' (The Technology of Rocket Flight). Sänger used a combination of rocket and aircraft technology to develop his "Silverbird" concept, a suborbital bomber aircraft, a hypersonic "winged vehicle propelled by a rocket engine…”
Space shuttle background
When the Apollo manned missions ended in 1972, President Nixon gave the go-ahead for the next stage of NASA's long-term, manned exploration of space. Numerous projects were underway and the goal of developing a reusable spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from orbital space stations, deploying and repairing satellites and potentially carrying pieces of Moon or Mars vehicles in low-Earth orbit was overwhelmingly expensive.
Yet over the following nine years, the Shuttle Transportation System emerged and successfully fulfilled its mission objectives.
The shuttle was designed to routinely and safely launch into orbit as a rocket and then return to Earth as a glider. The project demonstrated the safe re-launch and return of the shuttle orbiter and crew. The combined performance of the orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank were completely successful.
Early life
The early Space Shuttle design was based on five years of research and development of the delta wing X-20A Dyna-Soar rocket-plane.
Maxime Faget, the experienced NASA engineer who produced the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft designs, began working on the project in 1968. In 1972 he submitted a patent for a fully reusable two-stage winged craft with orbiter.
The shuttle orbiter was designed to carry up to seven astronauts, a significant increase in crew capacity compared with the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules. The shuttle was also able to carry payloads including satellites or space station parts into low Earth orbit. Budget cuts to the Shuttle program resulted in reusable solid rockets in the final design.
By 1976 an approach and landing test (ALT) program saw ground and flight tests of the first shuttle orbiter, Enterprise. The tests demonstrated that the orbiter could fly in the atmosphere and land like an airplane.
Four additional orbiters followed: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis.
Mission highlights
Shuttle Columbia STS-1, became the first of the fleet to enter space in 1981. Shuttle highlights that followed included the first four, five, six and seven person crews advancing into space. Shuttle Columbia deployed the Spacelab, Shuttle Discovery placed the Hubble Telescope in orbit then Shuttle Endeavour went to repair its faulty optics. Shuttle Challenger saw the first American female astronaut and the first untethered spacewalks and Shuttle Atlantis was the first to dock with a space station, when it rendezvoused with Mir in 1995.
Tragedy first struck the Shuttle program in 1986, when Challenger broke apart just one minute and thirteen seconds after launch. Endeavour was built as a replacement for Challenger in 1991. Then, 17 years after the Challenger disaster, Shuttle Columbia was also lost during re-entry in 2003.
NASA announced that after 30 years of traveling to and from space, the Space Shuttles will be retired in 2010. Already in production is its replacement, Orion.
The concept of a reusable plane-like spacecraft was proposed in 1933, when German rocket scientist Dr. Eugen Sänger published a book called 'Raketenflugtechnik' (The Technology of Rocket Flight). Sänger used a combination of rocket and aircraft technology to develop his "Silverbird" concept, a suborbital bomber aircraft, a hypersonic "winged vehicle propelled by a rocket engine…”
Space shuttle background
When the Apollo manned missions ended in 1972, President Nixon gave the go-ahead for the next stage of NASA's long-term, manned exploration of space. Numerous projects were underway and the goal of developing a reusable spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from orbital space stations, deploying and repairing satellites and potentially carrying pieces of Moon or Mars vehicles in low-Earth orbit was overwhelmingly expensive.
Yet over the following nine years, the Shuttle Transportation System emerged and successfully fulfilled its mission objectives.
The shuttle was designed to routinely and safely launch into orbit as a rocket and then return to Earth as a glider. The project demonstrated the safe re-launch and return of the shuttle orbiter and crew. The combined performance of the orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank were completely successful.
Early life
The early Space Shuttle design was based on five years of research and development of the delta wing X-20A Dyna-Soar rocket-plane.
Maxime Faget, the experienced NASA engineer who produced the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft designs, began working on the project in 1968. In 1972 he submitted a patent for a fully reusable two-stage winged craft with orbiter.
The shuttle orbiter was designed to carry up to seven astronauts, a significant increase in crew capacity compared with the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules. The shuttle was also able to carry payloads including satellites or space station parts into low Earth orbit. Budget cuts to the Shuttle program resulted in reusable solid rockets in the final design.
By 1976 an approach and landing test (ALT) program saw ground and flight tests of the first shuttle orbiter, Enterprise. The tests demonstrated that the orbiter could fly in the atmosphere and land like an airplane.
Four additional orbiters followed: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis.
Mission highlights
Shuttle Columbia STS-1, became the first of the fleet to enter space in 1981. Shuttle highlights that followed included the first four, five, six and seven person crews advancing into space. Shuttle Columbia deployed the Spacelab, Shuttle Discovery placed the Hubble Telescope in orbit then Shuttle Endeavour went to repair its faulty optics. Shuttle Challenger saw the first American female astronaut and the first untethered spacewalks and Shuttle Atlantis was the first to dock with a space station, when it rendezvoused with Mir in 1995.
Tragedy first struck the Shuttle program in 1986, when Challenger broke apart just one minute and thirteen seconds after launch. Endeavour was built as a replacement for Challenger in 1991. Then, 17 years after the Challenger disaster, Shuttle Columbia was also lost during re-entry in 2003.
NASA announced that after 30 years of traveling to and from space, the Space Shuttles will be retired in 2010. Already in production is its replacement, Orion.
