National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle (SP-4221)
Official history · written 1 July 1999 · released 13 August 1999
Why this matters
T. A. Heppenheimer's official history of how the Shuttle's design was squeezed by Air Force requirements, OMB budget caps and political compromises in the early 1970s. It explains why the vehicle ended up more expensive and riskier than promised. Essential background for the Challenger and Columbia reports.
Read the original
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19990056590
Hosted by NASA Technical Reports Server
Tags
Part of a collection · step 1 of 11
Failed Procurement Programs
The prototype: a vehicle shaped by budget caps and too many customers.
Part of a collection · step 4 of 8
Space Program Post-Mortems
Context: how the Shuttle was compromised before it flew.
Cite
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle (SP-4221)." 1 July 1999. Released 13 August 1999. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19990056590 (accessed via The Quiet Archive, QA-0046).
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