Posts: 34
From: Chicago, IL
Registered: Mar 2002

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

posted 03-20-2002 06:29 PM               

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I like Dennis Jenkins' "Space Shuttle: The History of Developing the National Space Transportation System," recently updated to include the first 100 flights (I have up to STS-75). Nice overview of how it was developed, technical info without being too obtuse, has mission summary and nice pics too.

I disliked the "Space Shuttle Walk Around." There are subtle differences between the paint schemes of Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, and Discovery/Atlantis/Endeavour, and the artist ignored them. I also don't believe there's mention or depiction of Columbia's STILTS pod, which is unique to that shuttle only.

One other obscure book I reference frequently is "Advances in the Astronautical Sciences, Volume 56: From Spacelab to Space Station." It has one appendix in back, "Space Shuttle Payloads and Experiments, STS Missions - 1 Through 101," dated September 1984. Kinda neat to see the shuttle sked at that time, the crews that were assigned (such as what became the 61B crew were originally the 51L crew without PSs), and what could have been. (I have a fascination with canceled shuttle missions - so any kind of official manifest is a goldmine to have.)

Posts: 2176
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999