Skylab Keeper
SL00635 - Front
"SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT -- An artist's concept of a Space Shuttle in flight. The vehicle is launched with all engines burning, a configuration which NASA calls parallel burn. The two solid rockets (attached in skewed fashion to the larger liquid propellant tank) are jettisoned at approximately 100,00 feet altitude. The solid rockets are parachuted to a water landing, recovered, refurbished and used again. The airplane-like Orbiter discards the large propellant tank just before insertion. Space Shuttle is a new NASA capability -- one that reduces the per-pound costs in orbit to about $160 compared with the $900 to $5,600 in-orbit costs for conventional launch vehicles. Savings result mainly from vehicle re-use and lower launch costs. The Shuttle will meet the requirements of many potential users, including industrial and scientific experiments, weather and communications satellites and missions for the Free World's defense. The concept, which is derived from both aircraft and spacecraft technology, will be operational in the late 1970's. The Space Shuttle can carry payloads of up to 65,000 pounds on a due east launch into space. It also can carry up to 40,000 pounds of scientific equipment into a polar orbit -- launching in a due south direction. At mission end the Orbiter reenters the Earth's atmosphere and lands horizontally like an airliner."
Date filed: 24-Apr-1972
NASA B&W Photo ID: 72-H-518
NASA Colour Photo ID: 72-HC-394
SL00635 - Front
"SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT -- An artist's concept of a Space Shuttle in flight. The vehicle is launched with all engines burning, a configuration which NASA calls parallel burn. The two solid rockets (attached in skewed fashion to the larger liquid propellant tank) are jettisoned at approximately 100,00 feet altitude. The solid rockets are parachuted to a water landing, recovered, refurbished and used again. The airplane-like Orbiter discards the large propellant tank just before insertion. Space Shuttle is a new NASA capability -- one that reduces the per-pound costs in orbit to about $160 compared with the $900 to $5,600 in-orbit costs for conventional launch vehicles. Savings result mainly from vehicle re-use and lower launch costs. The Shuttle will meet the requirements of many potential users, including industrial and scientific experiments, weather and communications satellites and missions for the Free World's defense. The concept, which is derived from both aircraft and spacecraft technology, will be operational in the late 1970's. The Space Shuttle can carry payloads of up to 65,000 pounds on a due east launch into space. It also can carry up to 40,000 pounds of scientific equipment into a polar orbit -- launching in a due south direction. At mission end the Orbiter reenters the Earth's atmosphere and lands horizontally like an airliner."
Date filed: 24-Apr-1972
NASA B&W Photo ID: 72-H-518
NASA Colour Photo ID: 72-HC-394