Skip to main content

The Post-Apollo and Space Shuttle Era

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Politics and Perils of Space Exploration

Part of the book series: Springer Praxis Books ((SPACEE))

  • 1331 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter examines the next time period after the Space Race—Post-Apollo Through the Space Shuttle program. At the conclusion of the Space Race, attention began to focus on the use of orbiting space stations and scientific research for an examination of a long-term presence in space. The Soviet Union and NASA were now interested in coordination in some space endeavors. Beyond the concept of space stations, the US was focused on the next space vehicle design, the Space Shuttle. The design, cost issues, and politics of this technological achievement are examined.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Silber, Kenneth. 16 July 2009. Down to Earth: the Apollo Moon missions that never were. Scientific American.

  2. 2.

    Howell, Elizabeth. [Internet] Space.com; c2013. Apollo-Soyuz test project: Russians, Americans meet in space; April 25, 2013 [cited 2015 Sep 21]. Available from: http://www.space.com/20833-apollo-soyuz.html

  3. 3.

    Silber, Kenneth. 16 July 2009. Down to Earth: the Apollo Moon missions that never were. Scientific American.

  4. 4.

    Neufeld, Michael J. Von Braun; dreamer of space, engineer of war. UK: Vintage; 2012. 624 p.

  5. 5.

    Space Task Group (US). The Post-Apollo space program: directions for the future. [Internet] History Office, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC; 1969 [cited 2015 Sep 21]. Available from: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/taskgrp.html

  6. 6.

    Whittington, Mark. [Internet] Examiner.com. The 1969 space task group and why it failed to chart a post-Apollo space program. [cited 2016 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.examiner.com/article/the-1969-space-task-group-and-why-it-failed-to-chart-a-post-apollo-space-program

  7. 7.

    Logsdon, John M. After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American space program. NY: Palgrave Macmillan; 2015. 368 p.

  8. 8.

    Barber, Chris. [Internet] Nixonlegacy.org. The dawn of the space shuttle. [cited 2016 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.nixonlegacy.org/the-new-nixon/2016/1/dawn-space-shuttle

  9. 9.

    Logsdon, John M. After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American space program. NY: Palgrave Macmillan; 2015. 368 p.

  10. 10.

    Logsdon, John M. After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American space program. NY: Palgrave Macmillan; 2015. 368 p.

  11. 11.

    Compton, W. David and Benson, Charles D. The NASA History Series. [Internet] history.nasa.gov; SP-4208 Living and working in space: a history of Skylab; [cited 2015 Sep 22]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/ch1.htm

  12. 12.

    Compton, W. David and Benson, Charles D. The NASA History Series. [Internet] history.nasa.gov; SP-4208 Living and working in space: a history of Skylab; [cited 2015 Sep 22]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/ch1.htm

  13. 13.

    Compton, W. David and Benson, Charles D. The NASA History Series. [Internet] history.nasa.gov; SP-4208 Living and working in space: a history of Skylab; 1983 [cited 2015 Sep 22]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/ch1.htm

  14. 14.

    Dorr, Robert F. [Internet]. Defensemedianetwork.com; Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) astronauts would have conducted surveillance and scientific research; Oct 19, 2011 [cited 2015 Sep 23]. Available from: http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/what-might-have-been-manned-orbiting-laboratory-mol/

  15. 15.

    Wordpress Staff. [Internet] wordpress.com; False steps: the Space Race as it might have been; the manned orbiting laboratory: a USAF space station; July 15, 2012 [cited 2015 Sep 24]. Available from: https://falsesteps.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/the-manned-orbiting-laboratory-a-usaf-space-station/

  16. 16.

    Compton, W. David and Benson, Charles D. The NASA History Series. [Internet] history.nasa.gov; SP-4208 Living and working in space: a history of Skylab; 1983 [cited 2015 Sep 24]. Available from: http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/seri/NASSP/4208//0000001,004.html

  17. 17.

    Flank, Lenny. [Internet] Dailykos.com; The sky is falling: the life and death of Skylab; Apr 16, 2014 [cited 2015 Sep 24]. Available from: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/16/1250880/-The-Sky-is-Falling-The-Life-and-Death-of-Skylab

  18. 18.

    Flank, Lenny. [Internet] Dailykos.com; The sky is falling: the life and death of Skylab; Apr 16, 2014 [cited 2015 Sep 24]. Available from: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/16/1250880/-The-Sky-is-Falling-The-Life-and-Death-of-Skylab

  19. 19.

    Logsdon, John M. May 1986. The decision to develop the Space Shuttle. Space Policy. 2:2:103–119.

  20. 20.

    History.NASA.gov. [Internet] History.NASA.gov; Oct 15, 2004 [cited 2015 Oct 05]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/faget.html

  21. 21.

    NASA.gov. [Internet] NASA.gov; Oct 10, 2004 [cited 2015 Oct 01]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/faget_obit_prt.htm

  22. 22.

    NASA.gov. [Internet] NASA.gov; Oct 10, 2004 [cited 2015 Oct 01]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/faget_obit_prt.htm

  23. 23.

    NASA.gov. [Internet] NASA.gov; Oct 10, 2004 [cited 2015 Oct 01]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/faget_obit_prt.htm

  24. 24.

    History.NASA.gov. SP-4221 The Space Shuttle decision [Internet] History.NASA.gov; [cited 2015 Oct 05]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/ch5.htm

  25. 25.

    History.NASA.gov. SP-4221 The Space Shuttle decision [Internet] History.NASA.gov; [cited 2015 Oct 05]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/ch5.htm

  26. 26.

    Fox, Margalit P. 2004. Maxime Faget, 83; Pioneering aerospace engineer designed Mercury capsule. The New York Times; 8.

  27. 27.

    NASA.gov. [Internet] NASA.gov; Oct 10, 2004 [cited 2015 Nov 11]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Spacelab_Collection_140117a.pdf

  28. 28.

    Wall, Mike. [Internet]. Space.com; c2012. Space Shuttle Discovery: 5 surprising facts about NASA’s oldest orbiter; April 19, 2012 [cited 2015 Nov 16]. Available from: http://www.space.com/15330-space-shuttle-discovery-5-surprising-facts.html

  29. 29.

    CBS.news. [Internet]cbsnews.com; Space Shuttle: 30 years of fascinating facts. July 21, 2011; [cited 2015 Nov 15]. Available from: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/space-shuttle-30-years-of-fascinating-facts/

  30. 30.

    Witze, Alexandra, Kenneth. 18 June 2011. Good-bye Shuttle: looking back at the space plane’s scientific legacy. Science News Vol. 179. No. 13, pp. 20–21.

  31. 31.

    Walter Froehlich. The NASA History Series. [Internet] history.nasa.gov; EP-165 Spacelab: Chapter seven: Spacelab: its birth, its impact, its future living and working in space: a history of Skylab; 1983 [cited 2016 Feb 22]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/EP-165/ch7.htm

  32. 32.

    Space.com Staff. [Internet]; space.com; c2012. Timeline: 50 years of spaceflight. September 28 2012; [cited Feb 22 2016]. Available from: http://www.space.com/4422-timeline-50-years-spaceflight.html

  33. 33.

    Walter Froehlich. The NASA History Series. [Internet] history.nasa.gov; EP-165 Spacelab: Chapter 7: Spacelab: its birth, its impact, its future living and working in space: a history of Skylab; 1983 [cited 2016 Feb 22]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/EP-165/ch7.htm

  34. 34.

    Waldrop, M. Mitchell. AAAS Science Archives 1983–1985. [Internet] Spacelab: science on the shuttle. [cited 2016 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.ganino.com/games/Science/Science%201983-1985/root/data/Science_1983-1985/pdf/1983_v222_n4622/p4622_0405.pdf

  35. 35.

    NASA.gov. [Internet] NASA.gov; 2013 [cited 2015 Dec 29]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Spacelab

  36. 36.

    Walter Froehlich. The NASA History Series. [Internet] history.nasa.gov; EP-165 Spacelab: Chapter 7: Spacelab: its birth, its impact, its future living and working in space: a history of Skylab; 1983 [cited 2016 Feb 22]. Available from: http://history.nasa.gov/EP-165/ch7.htm

  37. 37.

    NASA.gov. [Internet] NASA.gov; 2013 [cited 2015 Dec 29]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Spacelab_Collection_140117a.pdf

  38. 38.

    Wilford, John Noble. 29 Nov 1983. Columbia carries spacelab to orbit with 6-man crew. The New York Times. [Internet] [cited 2016 Feb 23]. Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/29/us/columbia-carries-spacelab-to-orbit-with-6-man-crew.html?pagewanted=all

  39. 39.

    NASA.gov. [Internet] NASA.gov; 2013 [cited 2015 Dec 29]. Available from: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Spacelab_Collection_140117a.pdf

  40. 40.

    The Economist (London, England), The Space Shuttle, into the sunset, July 02, 2011; p. 9; Issue 8740.

  41. 41.

    Wall, Mike. [Internet]. Space.com; c2011. NASA’s Shuttle program cost $209 billion—was it worth it?; July 05, 2011 [cited 2015 Nov 11]. Available from: http://www.space.com/12166-space-shuttle-program-cost-promises-209-billion.html

  42. 42.

    Ray, Justin. [Internet]. Space.com; c2011. From Shuttles to rockets: long history for California launch pad; January 19, 2011 [cited 2015 Dec 30]. Available from:http://www.space.com/10644-california-launch-pad-history-shuttles-rockets.html

  43. 43.

    Ray, Justin. [Internet]. Space.com; c2011. From Shuttles to rockets: long history for California launch pad; January 19, 2011 [cited 2015 Dec 30]. Available from:http://www.space.com/10644-california-launch-pad-history-shuttles-rockets.html

  44. 44.

    Launius, Roger. [Internet]. wordpress.com; c2012. NASA’s Space Shuttle and the department of defense; Nov 12, 2012 [cited 2015 Dec 30]. Available from: https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/nasas-space-shuttle-and-the-department-of-defense/

  45. 45.

    Cassutt, Michael. Air & Space Magazine, Secret Space Shuttles, August, 2009.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Dawson, L. (2017). The Post-Apollo and Space Shuttle Era. In: The Politics and Perils of Space Exploration. Springer Praxis Books(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38813-7_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics