Why did they cancel the space shuttle program?
“The bottom line answer is that it was too expensive. Way too expensive,” former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory system engineer Mark Adler wrote in 2015. “The shuttle never met its promise for low-cost access to space by virtue of the system’s reusability.”
Who was responsible for the Challenger disaster?
| Roger Boisjoly | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Attempts to prevent the Challenger disaster |
| Awards | AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility (1988) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mechanical Engineering |
What happened to Air Force Space Command?
The only major change to occur was the transfer of the Space and Missile Systems Center from Air Force Materiel Command to Air Force Space Command. On 29 August 2019, United States Space Command was reestablished as a geographic combatant command.
Is Air Force Space Command the same as space force?
Alongside the Space Force is the U.S. Space Command, which stood up in August 2019, and the Space Development Agency, which was created in March 2019. All three are partners in ensuring the U.S. maintains and strengthens its leadership position in space. But all three also have different roles in that regard.
Is US Space Command a combatant command?
United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) above mean sea level.
What happened to the Space Shuttle landings?
Space shuttle landings were intended to regularly take place at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for Department of Defense missions launched from the site, but none occurred due to the cancellation of all launches from Vandenberg.
Where were the TAL sites for the Space Shuttle?
Had a TAL situation arisen during a launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Hao and Easter Islands in the Pacific Ocean would have been the TAL sites. RAF Fairford was the only Transoceanic Abort Landing site for NASA’s Space Shuttle in the UK.
Did the Space Shuttle ever land on a dry lakebed runway?
No space shuttle landed on a dry lakebed runway after 1991. Various international landing sites were also available in the event of a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) scenario, as well as other sites in the United States and Canada in case of an East Coast Abort Landing (ECAL) situation.
When did the first Space Shuttle land at Edwards Air Force base?
The first landing at the SLF was for mission STS-41B in 1984; landings were suspended at the site following brake damage and a blown tire during the STS-51D landing in 1985, and resumed in 1990. STS-4 lands on Edwards AFB runway 22.