The U.S. space shuttle mission

This presentation is intended to introduce one to the Space Shuttle Mission, the aerodynamic characteristics one expects from the Orbiter vehicle and to what use it will be employed. Basically, the Shuttle Orbiter is employed as a booster in the ascent phase, an orbiting space station in the on-orbit phase, as a reentry vehicle, and finally a glider on the entry phase. The same vehicle must endure these roles for a hundred missions before overhaul. Obviously, trade-offs are made to a vehicle when it is required to perform these tasks. A sophisticated control configured design is necessary to perform these tasks well. Control system synthesis is an integral part of the vehicle design. The man-in-the-loop simulations on-going at NASA provide valuable control system evaluation. Astronauts are introduced to the ride, handling qualities, operability and redundancy management techniques and feed back valuable data to the designers. Finally, the useful role the Space Shuttle will serve mankind is explored. The Orbiter can carry (or bring back) up to 65,000 pounds to low Earth orbit. It can serve as a staging platform for high orbit missions, space platforms or satellite repair; or it can provide laboratory space for scientific experiments, manufacturing, and observatories.