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History of Space Shuttle RendezvousThis technical history is intended to provide a technical audience with an introduction to the rendezvous and proximity operations history of the Space Shuttle Program. It details the programmatic constraints and technical challenges encountered during shuttle development in the 1970s and over thirty years of shuttle missions. An overview of rendezvous and proximity operations on many shuttle missions is provided, as well as how some shuttle rendezvous and proximity operations systems and flight techniques evolved to meet new programmatic objectives. This revised edition provides additional information on Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo/Soyuz. Some chapters on the Space Shuttle have been updated and expanded. Four special focus chapters have been added to provide more detailed information on shuttle rendezvous. A chapter on the STS-39 mission of April/May 1991 describes the most complex deploy/retrieve mission flown by the shuttle. Another chapter focuses on the Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions. A third chapter gives the reader a detailed look at the February 2010 STS-130 mission to the International Space Station. The fourth chapter answers the question why rendezvous was not completely automated on the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle vehicles.
Document ID
20110023479
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Other
Authors
Goodman, John L.
(United Space Alliance Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
October 1, 2011
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-24483
JSC-63400, Revision 3
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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