Wings in Orbit Scientific and Engineering Legacies of the Space Shuttle
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Interview Transcript
ORAL HISTORY 7 TRANSCRIPT GLYNN S. LUNNEY INTERVIEWED BY CAROL BUTLER HOUSTON, TX – 18 OCTOBER 1999 BUTLER: Today is October 18, 1999. This oral history with Glynn Lunney is being conducted in the offices of the Signal Corporation in Houston, Texas, for the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project. Carol Butler is the interviewer and is assisted by Kevin Rusnak and Jason Abbey. Thank you for joining us today, again. LUNNEY: You're welcome. Glad to be here. BUTLER: We began talking the last time about Apollo-Soyuz [Test Project (ASTP)], and you told us a little bit about how you got involved with it and how Chris [Christopher C.] Kraft [Jr.] had called you up and asked you to become a part of this program, and how that was a little bit of a surprise, but you jumped into it. What did you think about working with the Soviet Union and people that had for so long been considered enemies, who you'd been in competition with on the space program, but were also enemies of the nation, to say? LUNNEY: Especially on the front end, it's a fairly foreboding and intimidating kind of an idea. Of course, I was raised and came of age in the fifties and sixties, and we went through a great deal of scare with respect to the Soviet Union. The newsreels had the marches through Red Square, you know, with the missiles and so on, tanks. A lot of things happened to reinforce that. There was, of course, the Cuban Missile Crisis early in [President] John [F.] Kennedy's administration. -
Endeavour Set to Leave International Space Station Today 24 March 2008
Endeavour Set to Leave International Space Station Today 24 March 2008 who replaced European Space Agency astronaut Léopold Eyharts on the station. Eyharts is returning to Earth aboard Endeavour. The astronauts also performed five spacewalks while on the station. Endeavour is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Wednesday. Source: NASA STS-123 Mission Specialist Léopold Eyharts, pictured in the foreground, and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson work at the robotics station in the International Space Station's U.S. laboratory, Destiny. Credit: NASA The crew of space shuttle Endeavour is slated to leave the International Space Station today. The STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews will bid one another farewell, and the hatches between the two spacecraft will close at 5:13 p.m. EDT. Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 7:56 p.m., ending its 12-day stay at the orbital outpost. STS-123 arrived at the station March 12, delivering the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to the station. The crew of Endeavour also delivered the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator. In addition, the STS-123 astronauts delivered Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, 1 / 2 APA citation: Endeavour Set to Leave International Space Station Today (2008, March 24) retrieved 24 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2008-03-endeavour-international-space-station-today.html This document is subject to copyright. -
Mourners Remember Life, Career of US Astronaut John Glenn 17 December 2016
Mourners remember life, career of US astronaut John Glenn 17 December 2016 Mourners gathered at a memorial service for The state of Ohio held ceremonies over two days, groundbreaking astronaut John Glenn on Saturday complete with full military honors, ending with the in his home state of Ohio, capping two days of memorial service held at a 2,500-seat auditorium remembrances for the first American to orbit the on the Ohio State University campus home to the Earth. Glenn College of Public Affairs. Glenn, who later in life also became the first senior The memorial service was attended by dignitaries, citizen in space, was remembered as a national high-ranking government officials and members of hero who believed in selfless service to his the public who got tickets. country. The service included a platoon of 40 Marines who He died last week at the age of 95, after a lifetime marched three miles (4.8 kilometers) to accompany spent in the US Marines, the American space the hearse carrying Glenn's body from the Ohio program, the Senate, and as a university Statehouse to the auditorium. professor. Glenn's flag-draped coffin lay in state at the At the public memorial service in the state capital Statehouse rotunda Friday, allowing thousands of Columbus, Vice President Joe Biden said Glenn visitors to pay their final respects in an honor exemplified America's view of itself as a "country of granted to only eight other people in Ohio's history. promise, opportunity, always a belief for tomorrow." At the memorial, speakers—including his adult children Lyn and David—remembered Glenn's long "He knew from his upbringing that ordinary career in public service. -
Remains of Astronaut Legend Neil Armstrong Buried at Sea 15 September 2012
Remains of astronaut legend Neil Armstrong buried at sea 15 September 2012 The cremated remains of legendary American astronaut Neil Armstrong were scattered at sea Friday, in a ceremony aboard a US aircraft carrier paying final tribute to the first man to set foot on the moon, NASA said. US Navy personnel carried Armstrong's remains to the Atlantic Ocean one day after a somber memorial ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral for the famously reserved Apollo 11 commander, who died August 25 at the age of 82. Armstrong's widow Carol was presented an American flag at the ceremony aboard the USS Philippine Sea that included a bugler and rifle salute. "Neil will always be remembered for taking humankind's first small step on another world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said at the National Cathedral service. "But it was the courage, grace and humility he displayed throughout his life that lifted him above the stars." Armstrong's Apollo 11 crew mates Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, Eugene Cernan—the Apollo 17 mission commander and last man to walk on the moon—attended the memorial service. Also present Thursday was John Glenn, the former US senator and first American to orbit the Earth. Armstrong came to be known around the world for the immortal words he uttered on July 20, 1969, as he became the first person ever to step onto another body in space: "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." (c) 2012 AFP APA citation: Remains of astronaut legend Neil Armstrong buried at sea (2012, September 15) retrieved 29 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2012-09-astronaut-legend-neil-armstrong-sea.html 1 / 2 This document is subject to copyright. -
Apollo Soyuz Test Project
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20190025708 2019-08-31T11:45:11+00:00Z Karol J. Bobko Background • Soviet –American cooperation in space had been discussed as early as 1962 by NASA’s Hugh Dryden and Academician Blagonrovov. • The major objectives for a cooperative space mission were: – 1) Demonstration in space of the new androgynous docking system, and – 2) Improvement of communication and reduction of Cold War tensions between East and West • In October 1970 R. Gilruth headed a small NASA delegation for a visit to Moscow to promote space cooperation. That visit was successful. • Following additional meetings, when President Nixon visited Moscow in May 1972, he and Alexei Kosygin signed an agreement providing for cooperation and the peaceful uses of space – The leaders specifically approved the Apollo-Soyuz flight being planned and they agreed on a 1975 launch. • Dr. Glynn Lunney was appointed as the U.S. technical director of the project • The US crew was announced in January; the USSR crew in May of 1973 • The first training visit was cosmonauts visiting JSC in July of 1973 System Changes • A Docking Module was developed to: – Act as an airlock between the two spacecraft • The Apollo operated with a 100% oxygen but at .34 atmospheres • The Soyuz normally operated at 1.0 atmospheres but for this flight it operated at .68 atmospheres • Since the difference between the modules was only .34 atmospheres it was felt the danger of going from one pressure to the other, without pre-breathe, was minimal. – The Docking Module had extra oxygen and nitrogen and executed the change in pressures to allow passage back and forth between the modules – The docking module had no capability to remove CO2 Docking Module (Cont.) • The front end of the Docking Module had the APDS, which was used to dock with the Soyuz • The rear part of the Docking Module had the probe and drogue system which was used to dock with the Apollo Command Module. -
NASA Celebrates First Shuttle Flight 7 April 2006
NASA celebrates first shuttle flight 7 April 2006 firing. Copyright 2006 by United Press International NASA has scheduled a series of events this month to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the nation's first space shuttle flight. On April 12, 1981, shuttle Columbia lifted off with Commander John Young and pilot Robert Crippen. Their mission, known as STS-1, is being remembered as the boldest test flight in history. STS-1 crew members addressed Kennedy Space Center workers Thursday afternoon. On the actual anniversary date, National Aeronautics and Space Administration head Michael Griffin will join Young and Crippen at Space Center Houston to honor their mission and all those who made it possible. Although the event will not be open to the public, it will be broadcast live on NASA TV. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility, at Wallops Island, Va., will unveil a shuttle sculpture April 14. Wallops provided range-safety support during the STS-1 launch and tracked the shuttle during the mission. NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi will test-fire a space shuttle main engine April 21 to mark both the STS-1 anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the first rocket engine static test- 1 / 2 APA citation: NASA celebrates first shuttle flight (2006, April 7) retrieved 25 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2006-04-nasa-celebrates-shuttle-flight.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. -
Apollo 13 Mission Review
APOLLO 13 MISSION REVIEW HEAR& BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES UNITED STATES SENATE NINETY-FIRST CONGRESS SECOR’D SESSION JUR’E 30, 1970 Printed for the use of the Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 47476 0 WASHINGTON : 1970 COMMITTEE ON AEROKAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES CLINTON P. ANDERSON, New Mexico, Chairman RICHARD B. RUSSELL, Georgia MARGARET CHASE SMITH, Maine WARREN G. MAGNUSON, Washington CARL T. CURTIS, Nebraska STUART SYMINGTON, bfissouri MARK 0. HATFIELD, Oregon JOHN STENNIS, Mississippi BARRY GOLDWATER, Arizona STEPHEN M.YOUNG, Ohio WILLIAM B. SAXBE, Ohio THOJfAS J. DODD, Connecticut RALPH T. SMITH, Illinois HOWARD W. CANNON, Nevada SPESSARD L. HOLLAND, Florida J4MES J. GEHRIG,Stad Director EVERARDH. SMITH, Jr., Professional staffMember Dr. GLENP. WILSOS,Professional #tad Member CRAIGVOORHEES, Professional Staff Nember WILLIAMPARKER, Professional Staff Member SAMBOUCHARD, Assistant Chief Clerk DONALDH. BRESNAS,Research Assistant (11) CONTENTS Tuesday, June 30, 1970 : Page Opening statement by the chairman, Senator Clinton P. Anderson-__- 1 Review Board Findings, Determinations and Recommendations-----_ 2 Testimony of- Dr. Thomas 0. Paine, Administrator of NASA, accompanied by Edgar M. Cortright, Director, Langley Research Center and Chairman of the dpollo 13 Review Board ; Dr. Charles D. Har- rington, Chairman, Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel ; Dr. Dale D. Myers, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, and Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, hpollo Director -___________ 21, 30 Edgar 11. Cortright, Chairman, hpollo 13 Review Board-------- 21,27 Dr. Dale D. Mvers. Associate Administrator for Manned SDace 68 69 105 109 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIOSS 1. Internal coinponents of oxygen tank So. 2 ---_____-_________________ 22 2. -
Space Shuttle Endeavour Will Rocket Into History
Space Shuttle Endeavour Will Rocket Into History 4/29/2011 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/science/jan-june11/endeavour_04-29.html Estimated Time: One 45-minute class period with possible extension Student Worksheet (reading comprehension and discussion questions without answers) PROCEDURE 1. WARM UP Use initiating questions to introduce the topic and find out how much your students know. 2. MAIN ACTIVITY Have students read NewsHour Extra's feature story and answer the reading comprehension and discussion questions on the student handout. 3. DISCUSSION Use discussion questions to encourage students to think about how the issues outlined in the story affect their lives and express and debate different opinions INITIATING QUESTIONS 1. How do astronauts reach space? 2. How does a space shuttle work? How is it different from prior space vehicles? 3. Which U.S. government agency oversees space travel? READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. Who will pilot the Endeavour on this mission and how is he related to a recent news event? The shuttle will be piloted by astronaut Mark Kelly, whose wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), was shot in the head in January by a lone gunman at a community event. Giffords, who is recovering from her brain injury at a Houston rehabilitation center, will be in attendance at the launch. 2. What is the Endeavour transporting into space? Endeavour’s final mission will transport three tiny satellites to be mounted on the International Space Station for a brief time to see how they hold up in the harsh conditions of space. Endeavor will also bring a historic artifact into space: a three-inch wooden ball called a “parrel” that was used by sailors to raise sails up masts. -
HOUSTON BRINGS HOME a SHUTTLE for EVERYONE to SHARE by Alicia M
HOUSTON BRINGS HOME A SHUTTLE FOR EVERYONE TO SHARE By Alicia M. Nichols All photos courtesy of Alan Montgomery and Woodallen Photography, Houston, Texas. 22 HOUSTON HISTORY Vol.12 • No.2 HOUSTON BRINGS HOME A SHUTTLE FOR EVERYONE TO SHARE By Alicia M. Nichols The new Space Center Houston exhibit will feature the mock-up shuttle Independence sitting atop the Boeing 747, in the “ ferry position.” Both exhibit director Paul Spana and educational director Dr. Melanie Johnson agree that the Houston exhibit offers a unique opportunity. Visitors here will have a far more tangible, hands-on educational experience than those who visit sites housing the formerly active shuttles. They can explore the insides of the 747 and the shuttle itself and see what it would be like to pilot the shuttle, crammed into the pilot’s deck. Interactivity and the higher level of engagement make it far more likely that young visitors will take away something from the experience, perhaps inspiring a future astronaut who will set foot on Mars.1 HOUSTON HISTORY Vol. 12 • No.2 23 hirty-one years after NASA launched the first space envisioned as a practical tool to transport people, goods, Tshuttle into Earth’s orbit, a shuttle carrier aircraft car- science experiments, and equipment between Earth and rying the space shuttle Endeavour flew over Houston. In July what became the International Space Station—a place to of 2011, the shuttle Atlantis, STS-135, marked the 135th and conduct further research and study space. Throughout the final flight of the space shuttle program, known officially 1970s, NASA scientists and engineers continued to develop as the Space Transport System (STS). -
Wings in Orbit Scientific and Engineering Legacies of the Space Shuttle
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20100041317 2019-08-30T13:21:15+00:00Z National Aeronautics and Space Administration Wings In Orbit Scientific and Engineering Legacies of the Space Shuttle N. Wayne Hale Helen Lane Executive Editor Chief Editor Kamlesh Lulla Gail Chapline Editor Editor An agency-wide Space Shuttle book project involving contributions from all NASA centers Space Shuttle book: September 2010 Wings In Orbit A new, authentic and authoritative book written by the people of the Space Shuttle Program • Description of the Shuttle and its operations • Engineering innovations • Major scientific discoveries • Social, cultural, and educational legacies • Commercial developments • The Shuttle continuum, role of human spaceflight Vision Overall vision for the book: The “so what” factor? Our vision is to “inform” the American people about the accomplishments of the Space Shuttle and to “empower” them with the knowledge about the longest-operating human spaceflight program and make them feel “proud” about nation’s investment in science and technology that led to Space Shuttle Program accomplishments. Vision (continued) Focus: • Science and Engineering accomplishments (not history or hardware or mission activities or crew activities) • Audience: American public with interest in science and technology (e.g., Scientific American Readership: a chemical engineer, a science teacher, a physician, etc.) Definition of Accomplishment: • Space Shuttle Program accomplishments are those “technical results, developments, and innovations that will shape future space programs” or “have affected the direction of science or engineering” with a focus on unique contributions from the shuttle as a platform. Guiding Principles: • Honest • Technically correct • Capture the passion of the NASA team that worked on the program Editorial Board “…to review and provide recommendations to the Executive Editor on the contents and the final manuscript…” Wayne Hale, Chair of Board Iwan Alexander Steven A. -
Appendix Program Managers/Acknowledgments
Flight Information Appendix Program Managers/Acknowledgments Selected Readings Acronyms Contributors’ Biographies Index Image of a Legac y—The Final Re-entry Appendix 517 Flight Information Approx. Orbiter Enterprise STS Flight No. Orbiter Crew Launch Mission Approach and Landing Test Flights and Crew Patch Name Members Date Days 1 Columbia John Young (Cdr) 4/12/1981 2 Robert Crippen (Plt) Captive-Active Flights— High-speed taxi tests that proved the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, mated to Enterprise, could steer and brake with the Orbiter perched 2 Columbia Joe Engle (Cdr) 11/12/1981 2 on top of the airframe. These fights featured two-man crews. Richard Truly (Plt) Captive-Active Crew Test Mission Flight No. Members Date Length 1 Fred Haise (Cdr) 6/18/1977 55 min 46 s Gordon Fullerton (Plt) 2 Joseph Engle (Cdr) 6/28/1977 62 min 0 s 3 Columbia Jack Lousma (Cdr) 3/22/1982 8 Richard Truly (Plt) Gordon Fullerton (Plt) 3 Fred Haise (Cdr) 7/26/1977 59 min 53 s Gordon Fullerton (Plt) Free Flights— Flights during which Enterprise separated from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and landed at the hands of a two-man crew. 4 Columbia Thomas Mattingly (Cdr) 6/27/1982 7 Free Flight No. Crew Test Mission Henry Hartsfield (Plt) Members Date Length 1 Fred Haise (Cdr) 8/12/1977 5 min 21 s Gordon Fullerton (Plt) 5 Columbia Vance Brand (Cdr) 11/11/1982 5 2 Joseph Engle (Cdr) 9/13/1977 5 min 28 s Robert Overmyer (Plt) Richard Truly (Plt) William Lenoir (MS) 3 Fred Haise (Cdr) 9/23/1977 5 min 34 s Joseph Allen (MS) Gordon Fullerton (Plt) 4 Joseph Engle (Cdr) 10/12/1977 2 min 34 s Richard Truly (Plt) 5 Fred Haise (Cdr) 10/26/1977 2 min 1 s 6 Challenger Paul Weitz (Cdr) 4/4/1983 5 Gordon Fullerton (Plt) Karol Bobko (Plt) Story Musgrave (MS) Donald Peterson (MS) The Space Shuttle Numbering System The first nine Space Shuttle flights were numbered in sequence from STS -1 to STS-9. -
When the Hubble Space Telescope Blasted Into Space on 24 April
As the venerable space telescope turns 25 this month, key scientists and engineers recount the highs and lows of its stellar career. hen the Hubble Space Telescope blasted into space on 24 April 1990, it promised astronomers an unprecedented view of the NASA Universe, free from the blurring effects of Earth’s atmosphere. But Hubble’s quarter-century in orbit has never gone accord- ing to plan. The telescope — a joint venture between NASA and Wthe European Space Agency (ESA) — faced a crippling flaw after launch that required astronauts to fly up and fix it. Later, problems with Hubble VOICES OF and NASA’s shuttle programme left the telescope’s future in jeopardy. Through it all, Hubble emerged as the world’s foremost astronomical observatory. Conceived by astronomer Lyman Spitzer in the 1940s, the telescope has led to fundamental discoveries, revealing for instance that the furthest reaches of the Universe are full of galaxies and that dark energy is pushing the cosmos apart at an ever faster rate. Its stunning images have transformed scientific understanding of the Universe and become wildly popular. HUBBLE Here, Nature tells the story of Hubble through the words of some of BY ALEXANDRA WITZE its key players, beginning in 1972. At that time, the space telescope was little more than a set of engineering drawings. 282 | NATURE | VOL 520 | 16 APRIL 2015 © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved FEATURE NEWS NASA/CORBIS “THE MONTHS IMMEDIATELY AFTER LAUNCH WERE JUST A NIGHTMARE.” Workers inspect Hubble’s 2.4-metre main mirror in 1984. ROBERT O’DELL, FORMER HUBBLE PROJECT SCIENTIST: I was told it Hubble finally soared into orbit in 1990 aboard the space would not take very long to build it.