mabgarstin (01/03/83)
I just got this super book for Christmas called, "The Space Shuttle Operator's Manual" (Ballantine Books, New York, $14.95, in U.S. $9.95). It is loaded, it has everything every good Russian spy would want to know about the space shuttle but was afraid to snoop around for. It has detailed layouts of the control panels, explanations on what it all means and how it operate it, it even goes through a step-by-step description on how to snuggle down in the seat of one of those neat birds, blow the tubes and get your tail off the pad, into LEO and back down again. Like, it is all there in full gory detail. What I'm writting about though is on one of the fold outs is a Mercator projection of terra-firma with the first 64 orbits of STS-3 drawn on it. In the middle of the south Atlantic is this hideously shaded blob entitled the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). Now I know that this was discussed not too long ago but if memory serves me correctly I think I just glossed over the related articles with too much of the information-osmosis process in gear. Could some dear kind soul out there in net.land please refresh my dynamic memory on this topic and put me out of my misery. P.S.- Since I'm writting this in REAL-TIME errors abound, that one line above sould read ....with NOT too much of the information-osmosis.... happy space trails... MAB University of Waterloo
karn (01/05/83)
I also purchased a copy of "The Space Shuttle Operator's Manual". If you can tolerate the space cadet writing style, it actually does contain a remarkable amount of detail, for a readily available publication. The foldouts of control panels, orbital maps, etc, are particularly useful. There is another (better) publication that describes the shuttle in even more detail for the outsider: the Rockwell press kit, a thick (1.5") loose-leaf notebook. I do not know if further copies are available. I borrowed a copy dated February 1981, and was amazed at its depth, especially when you consider its intended audience... However, even it contains some flubs. They slavishly give virtually all measurements in as many systems of standards as there are, e.g, distances in statute miles, nautical miles and kilometers. In the section on thermal tiles, densities are in both kilograms per cubic meter and in pounds per cubic foot. However, a conversion factor of 2.2 was used for all the numbers! Gee, now I don't know whether the tiles just float on water, or if they're also supposed to float on air as well.... Phil Karn