The Space Shuttle

In the aftermath of six Moon landings, and in a giant leap of faith with a largely reusable launch system, NASA pinned all its hopes on a technological wonder – the Space Shuttle. After ten years of development, it began flight operations in 1981, and, in over 30 years of sustained activity, the Space Shuttle program conducted 135 launches carrying satellites, spacecraft, experiment modules, and scientific platforms into orbit. It also helped build the International Space Station and sent expeditionary crews to the orbiting laboratory to support a permanent human presence in orbit from the year 2000.

Five Orbiters hauled loads between Earth and destinations in space, bringing back failed satellites, used experiments, and crew members returning after a sojourn at the Space Station. However, there have also been tragedies – two flights failed, and 14 astronauts lost their lives – but the Shuttle program continued, with lessons learned from the failures.

With more than 170 images, this book shares the inspiring story of how the Shuttle came about, how it was built and how it worked – as equally thrilling as the missions themselves, all of which are described, along with a complete list of every flight.

With a background in the aviation and space industry, working with companies and government organisations in the UK and the USA, David Baker has made a lifelong study of aeronautical and aerospace projects to inform his research into the men and the machines of flight and flying. He has written more than 100 books and since the 1990s has served as editor for Horizon, the house magazine for Smiths Industries, for Janes Information Group on two yearbooks, on Aviation News and on SpaceFlight, the monthly magazine of the British Interplanetary Society. David had experience working with NASA and managing his aerospace consulting company from offices in London and in Trenton, New Jersey, visiting many countries around the world to advise governments and organisations on aeronautical and aerospace programmes.

In the 1980s, David was made a voting member of the International Academy of Astronautics and received the 1998 Rolls-Royce Award for the ‘Best Propulsion Submission’, a category within the RAeS Aerospace Journalist of the Year awards. He is also the recipient of the Arthur C Clarke Award and of the American Astronautical Society’s Frederick I Ordway III award for ‘sustained excellence in space coverage, through books and articles, as well as engagement in the early US space program’, presented at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. David lives with his wife Ann in East Sussex.