Contents	5
	Preface	8
	Acknowledgements	11
	Foreword	14
	Dedication	17
	Prologue	18
	1: The Space Shuttle and the Space Station	20
	A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE	20
	A Platform to Work From	21
	THE AGE (AND AGING) OF APOLLO	22
	The Stark Reality	24
	A Space Transportation System	24
	BUILDING A MODULAR SPACE STATION	27
	Twin Manipulators	27
	Establishing an Economic Orbital Installation	28
	2: Shuttle and Salyut: A Lost Opportunity	29
	THE PROPOSED SHUTTLE-SALYUT DOCKING MISSION	29
	Apollo Soyuz	31
	The Salyut Era	34
	THE ‘ORIGINAL’ INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION	36
	US Concerns Raised	37
	The May 1977 Agreement	39
	NASA’s Tentative Expectations	40
	Hopes for the Future?	40
	The November 1977 Meeting	41
	Next Steps	43
	A SOVIET SPACELAB?	43
	NASA’s Organization of the Shuttle-Salyut Study Activity	44
	THE DEMISE OF SHUTTLE-SALYUT	44
	A Congressional Review in 1982	46
	A RETURN TO SKYLAB?	48
	Leaving the Keys Under the Mat	48
	Marshall’s Skylab-Shuttle Plans	49
	Shuttle-Skylab Phase-II	49
	Shuttle-Skylab Phase-III	50
	Teleoperator Retrieval System	51
	Abandoning Skylab	52
	Notes	53
	3: The Price of Freedom	55
	NASA’s “all-electric flying machine” 1981–1986	55
	SHUTTLE SUPPORTS SPACE STATION FREEDOM 1984–1992	56
	A Fifth Orbiter?	60
	Modifying the Orbiter to Support Space Station Freedom	60
	Within the Confines	64
	Large Platform Assembler – An Orbiter Mounted Configuration	65
	Shuttle Design Considerations in the Development of Large Space Structures	66
	AN INDUSTRIAL SPACE FACILITY	69
	FROM A CONCEPT TO A REAL PROGRAM	70
	Summary	71
	Notes	72
	4: Putting it All Together	73
	FLIGHT PLANNING	73
	The Jigsaw Puzzle of Flight Planning	75
	PROCESSING THE HARDWARE	77
	KSC Launch Directors	77
	Cogs in the Wheel	77
	PREPARING TO FLY	77
	Processing the Orbiters	79
	Vehicle Assembly Building	83
	CHESS ON A LARGE SCALE	86
	LAUNCH PAD TO SPACE	89
	Roll Out	89
	Launch Complex 39	91
	The Roll Backs	97
	LAUNCH DATE FLUIDITY	98
	Postponements, Scrubs and Delays: Shuttle-Mir, 1994–1998	98
	READY TO GO	100
	Notes	100
	5: The Human Element	101
	RE-LEARNING OLD SKILLS	101
	SHUTTLE CREW TRAINING	102
	Crew Designations	102
	A Team Effort	104
	Shuttle Training: A Brief Overview	106
	International Training	108
	Support Roles	109
	SHUTTLE-MIR CREWING	109
	The Early Assignments	109
	First Cosmonauts and Astronauts Named	111
	Director Of Operations in Russia	114
	First Docking Crew	115
	A Return to Mir	116
	Extending Shuttle-Mir	118
	Wendy Lawrence	119
	The Final Crews for Mir	120
	The Final Mir Assignments	122
	BY THE NUMBERS	123
	Shuttle-Mir	123
	Notes	124
	6: Getting There	125
	FROM PAD TO ORBIT	125
	Preparing for Orbital Operations	125
	GROUND CONTROL	127
	Director of Operations in Russia	127
	Mission Control Houston, Shuttle-Mir	128
	THE SHUTTLE RENDEZVOUS PROFILE	130
	Skills Based on History	130
	DEVELOPMENT OF SHUTTLE RENDEZVOUS	131
	On Board Systems	133
	The Way to Go	134
	Putting Theory into Practice	135
	SHUTTLE DOCKING PROSPECTS AND CAPABILITY	138
	Methods of Approach	138
	Docking Approaches	139
	Plume Control	139
	SNIP or SNOOPy?	139
	The Corridor	139
	ORBITER DOCKING SYSTEM	139
	Rockwell’s Docking Modes	140
	Phase C Docking Concepts	140
	Shuttle at Mir	141
	SHUTTLE DOCKING PROFILE	142
	Preparation	144
	Docking	144
	What if a Docking had Failed?	146
	Operational Experiences	146
	Plume Protection	148
	EXPERIENCES RECALLED	150
	Comparing the Target	152
	Notes	153
	7: Shuttle-Mir 1994–1998	155
	A Cosmonaut on Shuttle, an Astronaut on Mir	156
	THE SHUTTLE-MIR JOINT US-RUSSIAN MISSIONS	157
	Shuttle-Mir Summary	165
	LESSONS FROM SHUTTLE-MIR	167
	Notes	170
	8: The Docked Phase	171
	WELCOME ABOARD	171
	RMS ACTIVITIES DURING SHUTTLE-MIR	172
	STS-74 RMS Activities	173
	ASVS Checkout	174
	STS-91 RMS Activities	176
	SHUTTLE-BASED EVA AT MIR	177
	STS-76 EVA at Mir	178
	STS-86 EVA at Mir	180
	EXPERIMENTS AND OUTREACH	181
	Ongoing Research	181
	Notes	187
	9: Crew Transfers and Loadmasters	188
	THE CARRIERS	189
	Pressurized Modules	190
	Unpressurized Carriers	194
	THE STOWAGE FACILITIES	195
	Maintaining the Center of Mass	201
	A MOVING EXPERIENCE	202
	Plan Against Reality	202
	Working with Spacehab	207
	Notes	210
	10: Getting Back	211
	LEAVING	211
	Off to the Movies	213
	UNDOCKING THE SHUTTLE	214
	Fly-Around Maneuver	215
	Undocking from Mir	216
	Those Precious Final Orbits	216
	RECUMBENT SEATING	217
	Landing Day Minus One	219
	COMING HOME	220
	SUMMARY	226
	Notes	227
	Closing Comments	228
	Afterword	231
	Abbreviations	233
	Appendix 1: Shuttle-Mir Crewmembers 1994–1998	237
	Appendix 2: Space Shuttle/Space Station Freedom Assembly Manifests 1986–1993	239
	STS Space Shuttle Payload Flight Assignments, October 3, 1986	239
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, October 22, 1987	240
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	240
	Space Station (SS)	240
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, March 1988	241
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	241
	Space Station (SS)	242
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, January 1989	242
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	242
	Space Station (SS)	243
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, June 1989	243
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	243
	Space Station Freedom (SSF) Phase-I	244
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, January 1990	244
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	244
	Space Station Freedom	245
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, December 1990	246
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	246
	Space Station Freedom	246
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, February 1991	247
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	247
	Space Station Freedom	247
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, August 1991	248
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	248
	Space Station Freedom	248
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, January 1992	249
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	249
	Space Station Freedom	249
	Payload Flight Assignments: NASA Mixed Fleet, April 1993	250
	Industrial Space Facility (ISF)	250
	Space Station Freedom	250
	Bibliography	252
	Interviews	252
	Periodicals	253
	Newspapers	253
	NASA Publications	253
	Media Publications	254
	British Interplanetary Society Books and Articles	254
	Springer-Praxis Series in Space Exploration	254
	Other Books	255
	About the Author	256
	Other Works by the Author	258
	Index	260