The Space Shuttle - Description, operation, and evolution

System specifications, launch procedures, costs, payloads, and evolutionary developments in the STS are outlined. The Shuttle employs solid propellant boosters and an external cryogenic fuel tank to achieve LEO for the manned Orbiter, which can maneuver in space and return to earth like a glider. The Shuttle can place a maximum payload of 30 tons into a 275 km orbit. An Inertial Upper Stage and a Spinning Solid Upper Stage will be carried by the Orbiter in its bay and used to boost satellites into GEO. Additionally, the Orbiter is equipped with a remote manipulator system for removing cargo from the bay and for grappling satellites for retrieval or repair. The Shuttle is presently launched from Kennedy Space Center, while a second launch site is being prepared at Vandenberg AFB. The STS is intended to perform 28-40 flights per year by the end of the 1980s. An Orbital Transfer Vehicle is under study to increase the size and length of payloads which can be placed in GEO using the Shuttle. Utilization of the concept is noted to be connected with the development of a permanently manned space station.