Space
Shuttle Basics
Orbiter
The cockpit,
living quarters and experiment operator's station are located in
the forward fuselage of the orbiter vehicle. Payloads are carried
in the mid-fuselage payload bay, and the orbiter's main engines
and maneuvering thrusters are located in the aft fuselage.
Forward
Fuselage
The cockpit,
living quarters and experiment operator's station are located in
the forward fuselage. This area houses the pressurized crew module
and provides support for the nose section, the nose gear and the
nose gear wheel well and doors.
Crew
Module
The 65.8-cubic-meter
(2,325-cubic-foot) crew station module is a three-section pressurized
working, living and stowage compartment in the forward portion of
the orbiter. It consists of the flight deck, the middeck/equipment
bay and an airlock. Outside the aft bulkhead of the crew module
in the payload bay, a docking module and a transfer tunnel with
an adapter can be fitted to allow crew and equipment transfer for
docking, Spacelab and extravehicular operations.
The two-level
crew module has a forward flight deck with the commander's seat
positioned on the left and the pilot's seat on the right.
 | |
STS-88 mission commander and pilot in the flight deck of the
Endeavour |
Flight
Deck
The flight
deck is designed in the usual pilot/copilot arrangement, which permits
the vehicle to be piloted from either seat and permits one-man emergency
return. Each seat has manual flight controls, including rotation
and translation hand controllers, rudder pedals and speed-brake
controllers. The flight deck seats four. The on-orbit displays and
controls are at the aft end of the flight deck/crew compartment.
The displays and controls on the left are for operating the orbiter,
and those on the right are for operating and handling the payloads.
More than 2,020 separate displays and controls are located on the
flight deck.
Six pressure
windshields, two overhead windows and two rear-viewing payload bay
windows are located in the upper flight deck of the crew module,
and a window is located in the crew entrance/exit hatch located
in the midsection, or deck, of the crew module.
 | |
Astronaut Michael Foale floats in the middeck performing mission
duties. |
Middeck
The middeck
contains provisions and stowage facilities for four crew sleep stations.
Stowage for the lithium hydroxide canisters and other gear, the
waste management system, the personal hygiene station and the work/dining
table is also provided in the middeck.
The nominal
maximum crew size is seven. The middeck can be reconfigured by adding
three rescue seats in place of the modular stowage and sleeping
provisions. The seating capacity will then accommodate the rescue
flight crew of three and a maximum rescued crew of seven.
 Airlock
The airlock
provides access for spacewalks, known as extravehicular activity,
or EVA. It can be located in one of several places: inside the orbiter
crew module in the middeck area mounted to the aft bulkhead, outside
the cabin also mounted to the bulkhead or on top of a tunnel adapter
that can connect the pressurized Spacehab module with the orbiter
cabin. A docking module can also serve as an EVA airlock.
The airlock
contains two spacesuits, expendables for two six-hour payload EVAs
and one contingency or emergency EVA, and mobility aids such as
handrails to enable the crew to perform a variety of tasks. The
airlock allows two crewmen room for changing spacesuits.
Midfuselage
In addition
to forming the payload bay of the orbiter, the midfuselage supports
the payload bay doors, hinges and tiedown fittings, the forward
wing glove and various orbiter system components.
 | |
This mock-up of the shuttle's midfuselage was used to train
astronauts in preparation for the deployment of the Hubble
Space Telescope. |
Each payload
bay door supports four radiator panels. When the doors are opened,
the tilting radiators are unlatched and moved to the proper position.
This allows heat radiation from both sides of the panels, whereas
the four aft radiator panels radiate from the upper side only.
Some payloads
may not be attached directly to the orbiter but to payload carriers
that are attached to the orbiter. The inertial upper stage, pressurized
modules or any specialized cradle for holding a payload are typical
carriers.
The Remote
Manipulator System, or RMS, is a 15.2-meter (50-foot) long articulating
arm remotely controlled from the flight deck of the orbiter. The
elbow and wrist movements permit payloads to be grappled for deployment
out of the payload bay or retrieved and secured for return to Earth.
A television
camera and lights near the outer end of the arm permit the operator
to see on television monitors what his hands are doing. In addition,
three floodlights are located along each side of the payload bay.
 Aft
Fuselage
The aft fuselage
consists of the left and right orbital maneuvering systems, space
shuttle main engines, body flap, vertical tail and orbiter/external
tank rear attachments.
The forward
bulkhead closes off the aft fuselage from the midfuselage. The upper
portion of the bulkhead attaches to the vertical tail. The internal
thrust structure supports the three space shuttle main engines,
low pressure turbopumps and propellant lines. | 
