The Space Shuttle: Roles, Missions and Accomplishments

In "The space shuttle: roles, missions, and accomplishments", David Harland explains, for the first time, the scientific contribution that the space shuttle made to the international space programme. He focuses on the utility of the space shuttle instead of its development and, rather than employ a mission log format, each chapter is devoted to a specific type of operation, and the missions are discussed in this context. The book begins with a review of the origins of the space shuttle, and summaries of ground facilities and early test flights. Suceeding chapters are devoted to satellite operations (including deployment and retrieval of commercial satellites, TDRS, tethered satellites and free flyers); the great observatories (including the Hubble Space Telescope); solar system probes deployed from the shuttle cargo bay; Earth sciences missions; life sciences and microgravity research (including Spacelab and Spacehab); and Department of Defense missions. The Challenger accident and its consequences are reviewed in detail, and there are chapters describing the shuttle's role in supporting the American presence on the Russian Mir space station, and in facilitating the assembly in orbit of the International Space Station. After discussing possible future developments, the book concludes with tables of mission statistics, crews and payloads, and a comprehensive glossary and bibliography.