Celebrating 30 Years of the Space Shuttle; NASA/NP-2012-010835-HQ

Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration and U.S. Government Printing Office, 2012. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Good/Good. The format is approximately 11 inches by 9 inches. 283, [1] pages. Minor wear to DJ and boards. Foreword. Illustrations (many in color). Sections on each STS from -1 to -135, in order of launch, not in numerical order. Orbiter Facts. Challenger Tribute. Columbia Tribute. Bibliographical References. Index. Colorful DJ. DJ has slight wear and soiling. The Space Shuttle fleet set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions, from its first, when STS-1 launched on April 12, 1981, to its last, when STS-135 landed on July 21, 2011. Beginning with the orbiter Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Shuttle has carried people into orbit; launched, recovered, and repaired satellites; conducted cutting-edge research; and helped build the largest human made structure in space, the International Space Station. As humanity's first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle pushed the bounds of inquiry, requiring not only advanced technologies, but the tremendous effort of a vast workforce. Thousands of civil servants and contractors throughout NASA Centers and across the Nation have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to mission success and the greater goal of space exploration. This book is a tribute to everything accomplished during the Shuttle program's 30 years of operation. Illustrated throughout this nearly 300-page book, the graphic images and people showcase the many firsts and proud moments that the United States has lead the world in space exploration. Over three decades, this flagship program has become part of the fabric of America's history. It has helped us improve communications on Earth and to understand our home planet better. It has set scientific satellites like Magellan and Ullyses speeding on their missions into the solar system and launched Hubble and Chandra to explore the universe. The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its official name, Space Transportation System (STS), was taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development. It flew 135 missions and carried 355 astronauts from 16 countries, many on multiple trips. The Space Shuttle, composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank, carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). When its mission was complete, the orbiter would reenter the Earth's atmosphere and land like a glider at either the Kennedy Space Center or Edwards Air Force Base. The Shuttle is the only winged crewed spacecraft to have achieved orbit and landing, and the first reusable crewed space vehicle that made multiple flights into orbit. Its missions involved carrying large payloads to various orbits including the International Space Station (ISS), providing crew rotation for the space station, and performing service missions on the Hubble Space Telescope. The orbiter also recovered satellites and other payloads (e.g., from the ISS) from orbit and returned them to Earth, though its use in this capacity was rare. Each vehicle was designed with a projected lifespan of 100 launches, or 10 years' operational life. Original selling points on the shuttles were over 150 launches over a 15-year operational span with a 'launch per month' expected at the peak of the program, but extensive delays in the development of the International Space Station never created such a peak demand for frequent flights.