Mission Specialist Sally Ride Sits In Aft Flight Deck Mission Specialists Seat Of STS-7 Challenger During

1989: ‘Shuttle Evolution “Block II”’

(sorry for low resolution, I cannot find a higher-res version anywhere)

1989: A concept drawing for a never-realised next-generation Space Shuttle, capable of carrying 8 astronauts and possibly over 30 tonnes to low-Earth orbit. The most noteworthy feature is the detachable cockpit with engines which could serve as a launch escape-system or a lifeboat during an incident in-orbit. It was to use its lifting body, wings, and body flap to glide to a runway and presumably land on skids. The escape system would enable a crew's escape at any point during launch or orbital flight.

Comments and observations

The inclusion of this escape-system in the orbiter would necessitate a gap in the heatshield at the nose, one of the hottest parts of the vehicle during re-entry. That's obviously a big problem. Further, a pad-abort would seem to be very impractical. 3 seconds at 8 Gs would only send the capsule about 2 km high, probably not high enough to glide towards the nearest runway, especially with those stubby wings. Perhaps an emergency parachute system and a splashdown of the capsule would have been more sensible?

Other changes to the orbiter seem to be in the interest of improving gliding performance, such as two wing-tip vertical stabilisers instead of one tail-mounted one (to eliminate wing-tip vortices), shrinkage of the orbital manœuvring system pods by relocation of the OMS's propellant-tanks into the wings, and the addition of canards which would probably yield greater pitch-authority during landing.

The system also proposes replacement of the solid rocket boosters with liquid-hydrogen–fuelled boosters. These could provide a greater payload capacity, as well as greater control of thrust during ascent, and the possibility of an emergency engine shutdown, improving the crew's safety. The biggest and most obvious downside would be increased cost. The drawing doesn't specify whether the LFBs are intended to recover themselves by deploying parachutes, but what's certain is that saltwater generally damages delicate chemical rocket engines, so they probably couldn't just plop into the ocean like the real Shuttle's SRBs did.

Map of the Solar System from Signalis

The most complex flying machine ever created

Underappreciated Space Shuttle photos

Endeavour being serviced in the OPF

Columbia, STS-62. The OMS pods can be seen glowing due to interactions with atomic oxygen in an unusually low perigee of 195km. The hexagonal outline of the Extended Duration Orbiter Pallet is also visible.

Atlantis, STS-98. Approaching the ISS.

Endeavour, STS-54. Reflections in the window.

Challenger, rolling out before STS-6.

Mission Specialist Kathryn Thornton looking out the window while aboard Endeavour, STS-49.

Discovery, stacked ahead of STS-41.

Atlantis, STS-44. Bumped camera.

Discovery ahead of STS-128.

Challenger, STS-41B. Launching for the heavens (zoom in).

Concept art of the Space Shuttle returning from Space.

Artwork by G. Harry Stine

Date: 1978

Posted on Flickr by Numbers Station: link, link

Saturn’s moons, Enceladus and Tethys line up almost perfectly for Cassini’s cameras.

Artist's concept of the missile-mounted Space Shuttle Orbiter during launch.

Date: November 23, 1981

NARA: 6364453

Posted by Numbers Station on Flickr: link, link, link, link, link

HP 9845C by ✖ Daniel Rehn

This is a new sideblog of mine

Small Earth render pack

Also featuring Luna!

Made using the Steam version of SpaceEngine. Feel free to use without credit, but crediting the SpaceEngine team is courteous!