The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781470036478)

This significant new study of the decision to build the Space Shuttle explains the Shuttle's origins and early development. In addition to internal NASA discussions, this work details the debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s among policymakers in Congress, the Air Force, and the Office of Management and Budget over the roles and technical designs of the Shuttle. Examining the interplay of these organizations with sometimes conflicting goals, the author not only explains how the world's premier space launch vehicle came into being, but also how politics can interact with science, technology, national security, and economics in national government. The weighty policy decision to build the Shuttle represents the first component of the broader story: future NASA volumes will cover the Shuttle's development and operational histories.

Author: T. a. Heppenheimer
ISBN-10: 1470036479
ISBN-13: 9781470036478
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Language: English
Published: 11/18/2009
Pages: 492
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.44lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.99d