In addition, developments in Materials Science will make it possible to broaden the dive angle which is currently very small indeed for the return journey to earth. In fact these technologies work both ways both on ascent and descent. In the past the materials problems were believed to be completed around 2010. If we can solve these technical issues then a rumoured launch date for a Mars Mission at NASA in 2020 seems possible. It was suggested that Mars missions would be launched from the moon. We can only speculate that the motivations for doing so are constituted of the obvious advantages of launching under reduced gravity but also the continued suspicion that water persists on the poles of the Moon and Mars. Water would be the feedstock for fuelling such a mission as well as the humans travelling upon it.

SAE-UK.org Tour of the NASA facility.

Launch Pad 39
Surrounded by water (the India River, Banana River and the Atlantic) the site is protected by unpaid security guards… Alligators are abundant in the area. The Causeway road to Pad 39 has a surface that is designed to minimise vibration using river bed rock that crushes under the weight of the load providing a measured cushioning effect for the shuttle during transport. Apparently, the shuttle is attached to the Crawler Transporter by 8 bolts of 3 inch diameter. The carrier weighs 8.2 million pounds and has a top speed of 3mph but is rated for use carrying a shuttle at only 1mph to prevent vibrational damage.

Pad 39 is elevated due to a high water table on the island. The fire pits underneath would be flooded without the additional height of the launch pad. Huge volumes of water are pumped into the fire pits of pads 39A and B in the 10 seconds prior to launch and 10 seconds during launch. The aim is to reduce noise levels from 180dB to 142dB to prevent the loss of any heat shielding tiles. Above 142dB the damage to tiles can be substantial leading to loss or damage to the heat shielding.

Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) stands 525 feet tall and is the largest single storey building in the world (3.6 million m3) - also hurricane proofed to wind speeds easily exceeding 125mph. Despite this, hurricane damage repairs are visible from the image shown. Windows on the VAB are fitted with filters so that only diffuse sunlight enters the building to prevent damage to sensitive equipment inside.

Originally designed for the Saturn V at 363 feet high which is now housed in its own building. The largest rocket produced there wasjust 6 feet shorter than the size of the door opening on the

VAB.Saturn V was used in the Apollo missions from 1968 to 1972 including the final Apollo 17. The flag was added on the VAB’s 40th birthday using paint donated from different organisations over the years. Each of the red stripes is over 8 feet wide, marginally wider than a coach.

The Space Shuttle is composed primarily of 4 parts; the Orbiter carrying the passengers, the solid booster rockets that are reusable and the External tank, the largest of the components which is used only once. Lifecycles of the individual parts are very approximately; The Shuttle’s Orbiter could be used for up to 100 missions, the solid booster rockets are lifed at 20 cycles but are only used for a maximum of 15 and the external tank is used but once. The cracks and fissures that develop in the dome of the external tank due to the pressure differentials of dispensing that much fuel make it difficult to reuse.

It was explained to us that the call signal on every launch of ‘Throttle back’ is intended to minimise the damage to the nose section of the external tank, which would otherwise prove fatal. The external tank would therefore be a contender for the world’s largest and most expensive disposable item. The external tank explodes after release from the Shuttle. The whole Shuttle weighs 4.5 million pounds; 3.8 million pounds composes of 500,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel, liquid oxygen and hydrogen, consumed in 8.5 minutes after which the tank is jettisoned. The tank subsequently vents atmosphere and explodes.

Once in orbit the craft travels at 17.5 thousand miles per hour which is 1 mile per 5 seconds completing each orbit in 90 minutes. The Shuttle carries a payload of 30 tonnes reputed to cost $1 million per kilogram as a general rule. The heat shielding is composed of 24,000 tiles which can withstand 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. During the initial return phase the 4000 degrees Fahrenheit would otherwise be achieved except for an elaborate manoeuvre that presents different parts of the vessel to the braking direction.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter vehicle itself is a 100 tonne glider which takes approximately 1 hour to travel back from the ISS, discussed next.