Space Shuttle : A Research Guide

A space shuttle is a reusable space aircraft that takes off like a rocket and lands like an airplane. On April 12, 1981, the United States first space shuttle called Columbia blasted off. The shuttle was the first reusable spaceship and the first spacecraft able to land at an ordinary airfield. Since then there has been two space shuttle tragedies including the space shuttle Challenger that was destroyed shortly after its launch on January 28, 1986 and Columbia that was destroyed in an accident in midair on February 1, 2003. This guide introduces researchers to some of the basic informational sources on the topic. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library's catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.

Astronaut: Living in Space by Kate Hayden. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2000. ISBN: 078945422X.
Describes the various steps necessary for an astronaut to prepare for a flight into space and follows astronaut Linda Gardner as she trains for her space shuttle mission.

The Challenger Disaster: Tragic Space Flight by Carmen Bredeson. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 1999. ISBN: 0766012220.
Describes the events surrounding the explosion of the Challenger shuttle in 1986, the investigation of this disaster, and the seven astronauts who died.

Floating in Space by Franklyn Mansfield Branley and True Kelley. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. ISBN: 0060254327.
Examines life aboard a space shuttle, describing how astronauts deal with weightlessness, how they eat and exercise, and some of the work that they do.

On the Shuttle: Eight Days in Space by Barbara Bondar and Roberta Lynn Bondar. Toronto: Greey de Pencier Books, 1999. ISBN: 1895688124.
Day-by-day record of the Discovery mission.

The Space Shuttle by Allison Lassieur. New York: Children's Press, 2000. ISBN: 0516220039.
Describes the beginnings of the space shuttle program, the layout of a shuttle, a day's activities in space, the Challenger disaster, and the role of a shuttle in building a space station.

Christa McAuliffe: A Space Biography by Laura S. Jeffrey. Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1998. ISBN: 0894909762.
A biography of the school teacher turned astronaut whose life was tragically ended when the space shuttle Challenger exploded just after liftoff.

Shannon Lucid: Space Ambassador by Carmen Bredeson. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1998. ISBN: 0761304061.
Chronicles the life of the astronaut from her childhood in Oklahoma through her various space shuttle missions to her six months aboard the Mir space station.

Space Challenger: The Story of Guion Bluford by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1984. ISBN: 0876142595.
A biography of Guy Bluford, the first black American in space, part of the crew of the space shuttle “Challenger” on its August 1983 flight.

“Building a better shuttle: NASA turns to new designs and materials,” by Ron Cowen. Science News, April 5, 2003. p215. Available at www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1200/14_163/100110924/p1/article.jhtml .

“Why did the space shuttle burn up? (Columbia Disaster),” by Ron Cowen. Science News , February 8, 2003. p83. Available at www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1200/6_163/97997808/p1/article.jhtml.

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How Space Shuttles Work
http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-shuttle.htm
Describes how space shuttles work.

Kennedy Space Center: Space Shuttle
www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.htm
This site includes Shuttle launch schedule, status reports, shuttle archives, shuttle factoids, shuttle landings, a reference manual.

Lost: Space Shuttle Columbia
www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/shuttle/
CNN reports on the devastating loss of the space shuttle Columbia.

NASA Human Space Flight
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
Behind-the-scenes, past and future mission information.

NASA Kids: The Space Shuttle
http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Rockets/shuttle.asp
Learn how did the shuttles get their names, what the different parts of the shuttle are, and look at some great shuttle pictures.

Space Shuttle Components
www.unitedspacealliance.com/shuttle/
Overview of the Space Shuttle and a clickable map of the shuttle but with more detail than the site above.

The World Almanac for Kids Online: Space Shuttle
www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/space/spaceshuttle.html
Brief overview of the development and history of the space shuttle program.