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' SWCESHUTTLE

(NASA-EP-96) SPACE SHUTTLE: EMPHASISFOB THE 1970'S (NASA) 10 p MF $1.45;SOD HC $O.UO CSCL 22B

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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19730025113 2020-06-08T18:31:55+00:00Z

SHUTTLEEmphasis for

the 1970s

After a decade highlighted by driving effortand dramatic achievement, America's spaceprogram is shifting emphasis. Now the goal ispractical benefits for people on Earth.

The first 15 years of the Space Age havewitnessed a vast outpouring of new knowl-edge, and development of new technology,skills and whole areas of science and engineer-ing. These point to answers for problems thatcould not be solved without space flight.

Even at this early date, the practicalbenefits from the space program far exceedthe costs. Evacuations saved thousands of livesin 1969 when weather satellites forewarnedthat Hurricane Camille would slam into theGulf Coast. Communications satellites nowcarry half the world's international telephone,telegraph and television traffic at substantiallylower prices than those of a decade ago.Thousands of new employment opportunitieshave been created in areas such as the $8 bil-lion-a-year computer industry.

Soon, satellites will sense air and waterpollution, send warnings of crop disease, scanthe oceans for the best fishing areas andsearch the Earth for geologic formations asso-ciated with untapped oil and mineral reserves.The accuracy of weather forecasts will extendfrom the present one or two days to one ortwo weeks by the late 1970s. Space naviga-tion aids will enhance flight safety in the air-lanes between America and Europe. Furthertechnological progress will lead to more jobsfor Americans and increased sales of U. S.products overseas.

But, barriers stand in the way. Before thesebenefits can be achieved there must be break-throughs in cost, time and simplicity. Spaceflight is still expensive. Manufacturing, testingand launching of satellites is extremely costly.Five or six years may elapse before the ideain a scientist's mind becomes the reality of aflight experiment; more time is needed to de-velop a satellite into a practical tool. Scientistsand engineers must use remote controls. Theycannot retrieve a satellite for trouble shootingif it does not operate as expected. The expen-sive booster for each flight to space can onlybe used once.

These barriers will be broken by theSpace Shuttle, a revolutionary new vehiclethat will combine the advantages of airplanesand spacecraft, and will fly repeatedly to spaceand back to Earth. It will not be expended aspresent space vehicles are after a single flight.Many millions of dollars will be saved by usingsatellite equipment over and over again, andby using low-cost standard components thatcan be replaced when they wear out. Theyears of preparation for space flight will bedramatically shortened.

Technicians and specialists will accom-pany satellites into orbit, make adjustments asnecessary, and bring them back to Earth formodernization and maintenance. Thus, the in-troduction of practical benefits will becomeeconomical, speedy and simple.

The Space Shuttle will take off verticallywith a pilot and a co-pilot at the helm and twoother crew members. In early operations, theShuttle port will be at Kennedy Space Center,Florida, for east-west orbits. Later a port willbe added at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Cali-fornia, for north-south orbits. Two solid-pro-pellant booster rockets will supply most of thetakeoff power (1). About 40 kilometers (25miles) high, the boosters will separate (2) anddescend by parachute to the ocean surface(3). There they will be recovered and returnedto the launch site for re-use.

The main section of the Shuttle, calledthe Orbiter, will continue flying (4) on thepower of its liquid-propellant engines, sup-plied by a large external tank. After these twosections reach orbit, the tank will separate (5)and a small rocket will cause it to re-enter andland in a remote ocean area. The Orbiter willbe able to carry out space missions lasting atleast seven days (6). Special materials coveringits entire surface will protect the interior fromthe searing heat of re-entry. The Orbiter willfly horizontally like an airplane during thelatter phase of descent (7) and it will land ona runway (8) near the launch site (9). Asground crews gain experience in readying itfor subsequent flights, the turnaround timewill be reduced to two weeks.

I \ < M < isini; finder-lip control, the payloadspecialist checks the operation ol a complexsate l l i te after the arms have removed it fromthe4 Shutt le's rargo com|)artment. Soon thes.i le l l i tc^ will he released in orbit. •

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When operational, the Space Shut-tle will replace all but the smallest U.S.space launch vehicles. It will launch andreturn weather satellites, communica-tions satellites, pollution control satel-lites, Earth resource satellites, naviga-tion satellites, scientific satellites andspace probes. It will provide launchservices for the Department of Defenseand other agencies of the U. S. Govern-ment, foreign countries, private industryand research organizations. It willoperate as a common carrier, servingessentially anyone who can buy a ticketor pay the freight cost.

Passengers need not necessarilymeet the present stringent physicalstandards for space flight. They may bescientists, engineers, technicians, jour-nalists, television crews or others whosebusiness takes them into space. As ex-perience increases the assurance ofsafety, men and women of many organi-zations and many countries will beamong the passengers.

As costs decrease, preparation timesshorten and operations are simplified, newuses of space flight will develop. Among thosenow envisioned are the manufacture of high-cost, high-purity products like vaccines, exoticmetal alloys and special castings. Industrialresearchers expect the weightlessness of spacewill lead to economic advantages that willwarrant the cost of space activity.

Scientists are also considering how tocollect the Sun's energy in space and convert

it to electrical power for transmission to Earthwithout pollution.

But scientific leaders believe the mostsignificant benefits to people on Earth willcome from inventions not yet conceived,which will be stimulated when the Shuttlemakes space flight simple, less time consum-ing and less expensive.

PAINTINGS BY ROBERT McCALL FOR NASA

June 1972 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing OfficeProduced by the Office of Public Affairs Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 40 centsNational Aeronautics and Space Administration Stock Number 3300-0459

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