Reseña del libro "Wings of a New Frontier (en Inglés)"
The definitive engineering narrative and flight-by-flight record of the Space Shuttle's formative years.The NASA Space Shuttle was neither an ordinary airplane that happened to reach orbit nor a conventional rocket with wings attached. It was the world's first reusable orbital spaceplane-a national transportation system engineered from a crewed orbiter, an expendable cryogenic tank, recoverable solid rocket boosters, and a complex ground support infrastructure.In Wings of a New Frontier: Volume One, aerospace historian Oliver Walker delivers an exhaustive study of the Space Transportation System from its post-Apollo conceptual origins through the conclusion of its 66th mission in late 1994. Giving equal weight to machinery and missions, this volume combines deep technical analysis with an individual dossier for every flight from STS-1 through STS-66.Inside Volume One: Origins and Architecture: Explore the post-Apollo crossroads, lifting-body research, military crossrange requirements, and the budget trades that shaped the orbiter, external tank, and solid rocket boosters.Flight Hardware & Systems: Examine the engineering behind the reusable RS-25 main engines, thermal protection tile chemistry, digital fly-by-wire avionics, and the life-support systems supporting crews in microgravity.From Glider to Orbit: Follow the atmospheric Approach and Landing Tests of Enterprise, the tile crisis during Columbia's processing, and the historic crewed maiden voyage of STS-1 with John Young and Robert Crippen.Expanding Orbital Capability: Chronicle the rapid expansion of satellite deployments, Spacelab science, untethered Manned Maneuvering Unit spacewalks, and satellite retrievals like Solar Max and Palapa B2/Westar VI.The Loss of Challenger & Return to Flight: Read a thorough, unsparing technical account of the STS-51L booster field joint failure, the Rogers Commission investigation, the normalization of technical risk, the booster redesign, and Discovery's return on STS-26.Deep Space & Hubble Servicing: Relive the low-Earth deployment of interplanetary explorers Magellan, Galileo, and Ulysses, the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the complex five-EVA repair mission (STS-61) that saved Hubble's optics.The Road to Mir: Witness the early 1990s transition to international spaceflight, including the flight of the first Russian cosmonaut aboard Discovery on STS-60 and the close-proximity rendezvous testing of STS-63 and STS-66.The Complete Mission Record: STS-1 Through STS-66 The core of this volume includes a dedicated profile for each of the first sixty-six shuttle flights. Every profile documents: Official launch and landing dates, times, and facilities.Mission duration, revolutions, orbital inclination, and altitude.Full astronaut crew rosters and roles.Primary payloads, secondary experiments, and robotic arm tasks.Inflight anomalies, engineering lessons, and historical importance.Reconciled against official NASA mission reports, presidential commission records, and technical documentation, Wings of a New Frontier: Volume One is an indispensable reference for aerospace professionals, space historians, and anyone fascinated by humanity's first winged voyages into space.
