Description
Book SynopsisSpacelab was a reusable laboratory facility that was flown on the Space Shuttle from 1983 to 1998. Completing 22 major missions and contributing to many other NASA goals, Spacelab stands as one of the Shuttle program’s most resounding successes.
The system comprised multiple components, including a pressurized laboratory module, unpressurized carrier pallets and other related hardware, all housed in the Shuttle’s Payload Bay and crew compartment. But how did all those varied components actually come together?
The answer is the little-known “Level-IV”, a team of managers and engineers who molded separate elements of hardware into cohesive and safe payloads. Without the dedication and drive of the Level-IV team, the huge successes of the Spacelab missions would not have been achieved. This is their story.
You will learn herein how Level-IV was formed, who was involved, and the accomplishments, setbacks and problems faced along the way, in a story that blends both the professional and personal sides of Level-IV operations and its legacy. Upon reading this book, you will gain a new appreciation for this crucial team and understand what is meant when you hear the term “Level-IV”.
Trade Review“This is a long and very detailed book, often reading like a user’s manual, with chapters, for example, describing the buildings at the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) — including dimensioned drawings — the overwhelming need to communicate is always present. … Haddad & Shayler have done a good job in getting the original voices of this dedicated team out into the public domain and as such have provided a valuable service to the history of space flight.” (Barry Kent, The Observatory, Vol. 142 (1291), December, 2022)
Table of ContentsChapter 1: A Laboratory for the Space Shuttle
Chapter 2: “Ship-and-Shoot”
Chapter 3: From the Ground Up
Chapter 4: The Men and Women of Level-IV
Chapter 5: Creating a system that worked
Chapter 6: Creating a system that worked
Chapter 7: Path to a quick turnaround
Chapter 8: Ramping up the flight rate
Chapter 9: The Shutdown Years
Chapter 10: PALLET AND MPESS MISSIONS
Chapter 11: MODULE MISSIONS
Chapter 12: Spacelab says goodbye
Chapter 13: A place in history
Chapter 14: Closing comments
