Space Shuttle Struck By Lightning

Nasa Secrets the Story of the Space Shuttle Vehicles— Launching Satellites

This book, NASA Secrets is the story about the days of NASA when the six orbiters, or Space Shuttles came into existence. Prior to the Shuttles, the only way to launch satellites were off, of unmanned rockets. We needed a better system. In the late seventy’s, the Shuttle program was created, built, and used to put bigger, and more powerful satellites into orbit. As a trainer my team and I trained many of the Air Force Engineers, and many various contractors, technicians, even those Astronauts, to launch satellites from the shuttle, into various type orbits. I take you through, what I called the Cradle to Grave concept, the life of the Space Shuttle from the manufacturer plant to the testing, and down to Kennedy Space Center, preparation for launch, and the actual launch from one of the two pads. The program lasted approximately thirty years, and many accomplishments were made during that span. Some even changed our lives. Unfortunately, due to overruns, costs, and other setbacks the program was cancelled. I cover the two main accidents, the Challenger, and the Columbia crashes. Then, I explain our satellite communication system, called TDRS, the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, and the new James Webb Telescope. It is a remarkably interesting and informative read, where everyone, all ages can enjoy it.

Memories of the Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs

I have had the privilege of being an engineer who worked on both the Apollo and Space Shuttle Orbiter Programs for more than 45 years. It has been a fascinating and rewarding experience, along with its share of pressures and disappointments. Come take this exciting journey with me. In this book I present the contributions of 30 key scientists who, over a period of 2500 years, made the Moon visit possible in my lifetime. I review the birth of the Space Age, early Russian dominance in the sixties, and the successful landing on the Moon. The details of the failure analyses of the Apollo Fire, which cost the lives of three Apollo astronauts, are presented, along with the corrective actions taken. I cover the contribution of the Mercury and Gemini programs, the details of the design of the Apollo and the greatest material challenges we faced. The book also describes the Lunar Module; without its concept, we may have never made the Moon landings. The book also details how we beat the Russians to the Moon, covers all Apollo missions, and how we saved the Apollo 13 astronauts. Finally, I present what I consider to be the Apollo legacy. This book presents the details of the building of the Space Shuttle Orbiter and the crucial development of its heat shield. It also points out key failures that had to be resolved. Included is a Chapter on the Russian Space Shuttle, the Buran, comparing it to the Space Shuttle Orbiter. The book covers the failure of the Challenger Spacecraft and what went wrong, as well as how we determined the cause of the Columbia Spacecraft failure. It also discusses the science of reentry of the Space Shuttle Orbiter, the future of manned space, and the legacy of the Space Shuttle. This book is a detailed documentary of the American’s manned space programs. Read on and enjoy!

NASA Facts