Spacelab; An International Success Story. NASA SP-487
Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Scientific and Technical Information Division, 1987. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xv, [1], 554 pages. Illustrations (many in color). Figures. Tables. Sources. Appendices, Ex-lib with usual library markings. The author was centrally involved in the conception and birth of Spacelab. He was the NASA Director of this cooperative effort with the European Space Agency and its 10 participating countries from the programs inception until the first delivery of hardware to the United States. The management organizations had not previously worked together, and such a large number of nations had never cooperated to build a manned space system. At the start, the requirements and use of the Spacelab for science and applications were not fully understood. The Spacelab demonstrated in a convincing fashion its ability to be a useful tool for space science and technology. The technical and programmatic challenges were met, Europe joined the Spacefaring community, and international cooperation was strengthened. This volume presents a history of the Spacelab program, which was the first time that the United States space program worked with a foreign agency to design and develop a major element of a manned space vehicle. Spacelab is a European-developed and U.S.-operated space laboratory carried in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. This story of the Spacelab Development Program traces the program from the origin of the Spacelab concept, describing negotiations and agreements for European participation and the role of Europe and the United States in system development, operational capability development, and utilization planning. It considers the joint management structure, coordination, and experience with management and technical interface problems. This is the story of the evolution and technical accomplishments of this program in manned space flight and of some of the unusual political and human interest aspects of the program from the viewpoint of one of the key participants. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Space, Spacelab, NASA, Space Station, Space Exploration, Space Flight, Spacecraft, ESA, ERNO, Space Shuttle, Mission Planning, Payload, Flight Hardware
[Book #76677]
Price: $55.00