CHAPTER 5
SPACE SHUTTLE TESTING AND EVALUATION

Baker, David. "Evolution of the Space Shuttle: 5. Approach and Landing Test Programme." Spaceflight. 19 (June 1977): 213- 17. As the subtitle suggests, this article desribes the major developments in the test program for the Shuttle's reentry and landing phase.

Baker, David. "Evolution of the Space Shuttle: 6. Free Flight Tests Begin." Spaceflight. 20 (January 1978): 21-28, 40. Describes the flight characteristics of the Shuttle tests then underway at the Dryden Flight Research Center in California.

Baker, David. "Space Shuttle Feels the Atmosphere." Flight International. 26 March 1977, pp. 784-787. Summarizes the flight tests of the first Shuttle orbiter then being completed at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

Baker, David, and Wilson, Michael. "Space Shuttle Debut." Flight International. 25 September 1976, pp. 975-982. Description of the first roll-out of the Shuttle Enterprise in 1976.

Beatty, J. Kelly. "Space Shuttle: Problems and Progress." Sky and Telescope. 57 (June 1979): 542-44. Discusses the Shuttle's construction and testing as of 1979. Its premise is whatever is good for the Shuttle is good for astronomers.

Beatty, J. Kelly. "The Space Shuttle in Free Flight." Sky and Telescope. 54 (October 1977): 271-275. News report on the flight tests of the Shuttle after being deployed from the Boeing 747 used in its flight testing.

Bulloch, Chris. "Space Shuttle Progress." Interavia. 35 (October 1980): 899-906. This article describes for an international audience the development of the Shuttle from its conception through its flight tests.

Covault, Craig. "Shuttle Aborts Pose New Challenges." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 15 October 1975, pp. 39-45. Reports in depth on the difficulties of the Shuttle after one of its tests was aborted due to malfunctions.

Covault, Craig. "Shuttle Engine Passes Critical Milestone." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 30 June 1975, pp. 37-42. This is one of many news articles on the Shuttle by Covault. Discusses the major testing of the Shuttle main engine.

Covault, Craig. "Shuttle Firing Test Count Starts." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 9 February 1981, pp. 24-26. An account of the test firing of the Shuttle's main engines.

Edwards, C.L.W., and Cole, Stanley R. Predictions of Entry Heating for Lower Service of Shuttle Orbiter. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1983. This 94-page report is a technical memorandum on this subject.

Fink, Donald. "Orbiter Experiences Control Problems." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 31 October 1977, pp. 16-17. Describes the problems found in the handling of the Shuttle during its free flight tests. On its fifth free flight test on 26 October 1977 the Enterprise encountered control problems at touchdown. While trying to slow the spacecraft for landing the pilot experienced a left roll, corrected for it, and touched down too hard. The Shuttle bounced once and eventually settled down to a longer landing than was expected.

Fink, Donald. "Orbiter Flight Plan Expanded." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 27 June 1977, pp. 12-14. This news article describes the current status and fast pace of the Shuttle test program at Dryden in the latter 1970s.

Fink, Donald. "Orbiter Responsive in Free Flight." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 22 August 1977, pp. 12-19. This is a news report on the tests of the Shuttle orbiter from the Boeing 747 test bed.

Flight Test Results Pertaining to the Space Shuttlecraft. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1970. Available from Springfield, VA: Federal Scientific and Technical Information. This 159-page work was published as NASA Technical Memorandum (TM) X-2101. It contained the proceedings of a symposium held at the Flight Research Center at Edward Air Force Base, California, on 30 June 1970, assessing the status of the lifting body program and various aspects of the Shuttle program then being developed. It is a highly technical set of presentations.

Gong, Leslie; Ko, William L.; and Quinn, Robert D. Thermal Response of Space Shuttle Wing During Reentry Heating. Edwards, CA: Dryden Flight Research Facility, 1984. This is a highly technical report concerning the reentry problems of the Shuttle orbiter.

Grey, Jerry. Enterprise. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1979. This is a popularly-written book on the decision, development, and test of the early Shuttle, the Orbiter 101, named after the "Star Trek's" Enterprise. Designed for the popular market, it is a fast-moving story with emphasis on anecdotes, and without scholarly apparatus.

Hallion, Richard P. Test Pilots: The Frontiersmen of Flight. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988 ed., pp. 270-80. This addendum to the 1981 original edition of this book reviews the test and evaluation phase of the Space Shuttle. It is a good summation of the development of the program through the first flights of the orbiter.

Hamilton, David D.; Schliesing, John A.; and Zupp, George A., Jr. Orbiter Loads Math Model Description and Correlation with ALT Flight Data. Springfield, VA: National Technical Information Service, 1980. This is a short technical paper relating to flight operations and tracking of the Shuttle.

Kolcum, Edward H. "Shuttle Engine Firing Successful." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 2 March 1981, pp. 17-19. Discussion of the successful test of the Shuttle's main engines.

Lenorovitz, Jeffrey M. "Shuttle Orbiter Test Phase Trimmed." Aviation Week & Space Technology. 4 July 1977, pp. 18-19. This news item describes the conduct of the captive test flights of the Shuttle mated to the Boeing 747 at Dryden and comments that since they were going so well the test program was ahead of schedule and the number of flights could be cut because they were unnecessary.

McIntosh, Gregory P., and Larkin, Thomas P. "Space Shuttle's Testing Gauntlet." Astronautics & Aeronautics. 14 (January 1976): 44-56. Technical article on the rigid testing program given for each system of the Shuttle. It emphasizes the safety aspects of the program.

National Research Council. Technical Status of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (Second Review). Washington, DC: National Research Council, February 1979. This is the second of two reports of the Assembly of Engineering's ad hoc Committee for Review of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Development Program. A follow-up study was requested by the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation as the result of uncertainties in technical development pointed out in the committee's first report. This report presents the committee's assessment of problems considered in its earlier review as well as others that arose subsequently. It also addresses longer-range issues concerning safety and reliability. Damaging malfunctions in two main engines while under test during the period of the committee's study are described together with a discussion of their implications for development of the main engines.

Whitnah, A.M., and Hillje, E.R. Space Shuttle Wind Tunnel Testing Program Summary. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1984. Detailed engineering report describing tests of the Shuttle in wind tunnels.