ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the design and operation of NASA's space shuttle fleet. It aims to consider what happened in the tragic explosion of Challenger and consider the future development of reusable space systems. The systems have been updated since flights resumed after the Challenger disaster. The process of preparing a space shuttle for another flight begins with the retrieval of the spent solid rocket boosters from the ocean. The space shuttle represents a radically different approach to the process of carrying astronauts and equipment into Earth orbit. Spacecraft before the space shuttle orbiter survived the heating effect of atmospheric friction during re-entry by the use of ablative heat shields. Once loaded with propellant, the external tank becomes the heaviest space shuttle component as well as being the largest. Some of the joins are resealed at the factory when new solid propellant is packed into the shell.
