Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-05-2011 03:51 PM               

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Johnson Space Center document

Space Shuttle Missions Summary Book

Click here to download. (PDF)

This document was originally produced as an informal Mission Operations book and has been updated since Space Shuttle Flight STS-1 and throughout the program.

This version is a formally released NASA document. It is a handy reference guide for flight data for all Space Shuttle missions.

"As-flown" data is provided as compiled from many flight support sources for ascent, on-orbit events, and descent mission phases. In addition, the specific shuttle vehicle configuration, payload, flight crew, and flight directors are identified for each flight.

In the development of this book, the data for the early flights are contained on a single page per flight. For later flights, more pages per flight have been added, primarily for growth in mission complexity as noted in the "Mission Highlights" data column. This particularly applies to missions involved in the assembly of the International Space Station.

Pertinent photos for each mission are also included on each mission summary page.

Conversion from Informal Document

Robert D. "Bob" Legler/DA8/USA was the originator of this book as an informal Mission Operations Document to provide a "handy reference guide" for "as flown" mission data, often used by JSC Flight Controllers and Mission Planners.

Mr. Legler authored the informal book from flight STS-1 through flight STS-115. After Legler's death in 2007, Floyd V. Bennett took over the authorship for STS-116 and all missions to follow. In addition, a "Brief Mission Summary" statement for all ISS assembly missions and pertinent mission related photos to each summary file were incorporated.

This formal NASA document is a conversion of the informal version to provide an official historical record of pertinent Space Shuttle Missions Operational Data.

Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 10-06-2011 04:36 PM               

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Interesting how STS-35 is also labeled (STS 61-E), even though 35 had a (partially) different crew, and no other analogues are given (e.g., STS-29R as STS 61-H, for one.)

But what has always puzzled me is what mission STS-21 would have been, if 51C was STS-20 and the canceled 51E was STS-22. An iteration of a Brandenstein-Creighton mission, or maybe an earlier Shaw-O'Connor flight? (I can figure out what the other missing mission numbers are.)

Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005

Posts: 583
From: Louisville CO US
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 10-07-2011 12:13 PM               

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Thank you, Robert.

This book is really neat in that in addition to having all the handy facts, it also has enough of the memorable pics and emblems to be an organized scrapbook as well.

Posts: 49
From: Desoto, Tx
Registered: Sep 2011

Posts: 1031
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010

Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 10-10-2011 12:53 AM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by cspg:
Any plans to have a printed version?

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Maybe it won't get me anywhere, but I formally requested this as a print version through NASA technical reports last week. I haven't heard anything yet but didn't get a e-mail with a denial, so that's often a good thing.

Even after I left active duty, I used to request print versions of all types of military pubs through DoD websites that you could download them as PDFs and almost 100% of them time they'd show up in the mailbox, your tax dollars at work. I only had to put in the request. You be amazed what you used to be able to get if you only knew who to ask. The worst that happens is that I get nothing, but I wouldn't be surprised if a print version of this does show up eventually. If it does, I'll let you all know.

Posts: 419
From: Seneca, IL, US
Registered: Jan 2009

Posts: 583
From: Louisville CO US
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 10-17-2011 05:41 AM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by dabolton:
I wonder if anyone could take the orbital path of each mission and overlay them at once on a globe so we can see how much of the earth was covered throughout the span of the missions.

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It would be opaque to 28.5 degrees, slightly less to 40, 51.6, 57, and finaly a thin fuzzy look between 57 and 62 degrees from when STS-36 got a special waiver to fly the high inclination orbit.

Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004

Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 11-03-2011 08:51 PM               

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I'm disappointed but not at all surprised to hear this. I got no such message when I sent an official request through the NASA technical reports website.

I've requested various publications through other government agencies in the past and heard nothing until an envelope showed up months later. I'm still holding onto a (probably naive) hope that the same might happen here.