Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
COVER: Unmanned s p a c e c r a f t w i t h a t t a c h e d i n t e r i m
or i n t o i n t e r p l a n e t a r y t r a j e c t o r i e s . he remote manip-
space. I'
-- James C. Fletcher
NPSA Administrator
November 1976
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Washington. D C 20546
AC 202 755-8370
For Release:
David Garrett
Headquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE
(Phone: 202/755-3090)
Victor Seigel
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(Phone: 202/755-3350)
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Mailed:
January 2 4 , 1977
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A V e r s a t i l e Vehicle
Space S h u 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 . It takes
w i l l r e s u l t i n c o n s i d e r a b l e s a v i n g s i n s p a c e c r a f t costs.
S a t e l l i t e s t h a t t h e S h u t t l e can o r b i t and m a i n t a i n i n c l u d e
t h o s e i n v o l v e d i n environmental p r o t e c t i o n , energy, weather
f o r e c a s t i n g , n a v i g a t i o n , f i s h i n g , farming, mapping, ocean-
ography and many o t h e r f i e l d s u s 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 can a l s o be p l a c e d i n o r b i t
by 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 e
I n t e r i m Upper S t a g e ( I U S ) which i s b e i n g developed by t h e
Department of Defense. A f t e r t h e I U S and spacecraft are
checked o u t , t h e 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 t
s 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 maximum
altitude -- about 1 , 0 0 0 kilometers (approximately 6 0 0 m i l e s ) .
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P a r t i c i p a t i n g E S A n a t i o n s a r e Belgium, Denmark, F r a n c e ,
S p a c e l a b i s an example of i n t e r n a t i o n a l s h a r i n g of s p a c e
costs and of worldwide i n t e r e s t i n t h e s t u d y of s c i e n c e i n
a s p a c e environment.
P r o j e c t s t h a t o n l y r e c e n t l y were c o n s i d e r e d i m p r a c t i c a b l e
s p e c i a l i s t s , t r a n s p o r t e d and s u p p o r t e d i n s p a c e by S h u t t l e .
T h e S h u t t l e can a l s o c a r r y t h e b u i l d i n g b l o c k s f o r s e l f -
e s t a b l i s h m e n t of any space s e t t l e m e n t .
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P r i n c i p a l Components of S h u t t l e
w e i g h t of a DC-9 commercial a i r t r a n s p o r t .
The o r b i t e r can t r a n s p o r t a p a y l o a d of 2 9 , 5 0 0 kg
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 and f o r
f u l l y equipped s c i e n t i f i c l a b o r a t o r i e s .
have a t h r u s t of 2 . 1 m i l l i o n N ( 4 7 0 , 0 0 0 l b . ) . Thev a r e f e d
p 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 which i s 47 m (154 f t . )
l o n g and 8 . 7 m (28.6 f t . ) i n d i a m e t 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 hydrogen ( f u e l ) and
s e p a r a t e p r e s s u r i z e d compartments of t h e t a n k . The e x t e r n a l
t a n k i s t h e o n l y p a r t of t h e S h u t t l e system t h a t i s n o t
reusable.
T y p i c a l S h u t t l e Mission
I n a t y p i c a l S h u t t l e m i s s i o n which l a s t s f r o m seven t o
A t a p r e d e t e r m i n e d p o i n t , t h e two unmanned s o l i d - r o c k e t
and 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 on
c 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 devices.
The o r b i t e r does n o t n e c e s s a r i l y f o l l o w a b a l l i s t i c
p a t h t o t h e ground as d i d p r e d e c e s s o r manned s p a c e c r a f t .
I t has a c r o s s r a n g e c a p a b i l i t y (can maneuver t o t h e r i g h t
o 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 . ) .
Crew
S h u t t l e Management Team
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 of
f a c i l i t i e s and f o r o p e r a t i o n a l m i s s i o n s r e u u i r i n g e a s t e r l y
launches.
States.
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January 1977