Aboard the Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle is about the same size and weight as a medium-size airliner, but crew conditions inside are cramped. The cargo bay takes up the middle of the spacecraft. The main engines and orbital maneuvering systems are in the tail sec­tion. The flight deck and living quarters, are confined to the forward fuselage. On the flight deck, two pilot seats are fitted with manual controls in addition to the automatic systems. The pilots have more than 2,000 separate displays and controls on the flight deck to monitor. The mid-deck area con­tains four crew sleep stations, the waste management system, a personal hygiene station, and a table used for work and meals.

The mid-deck also contains an area for scientific experiments.

О A large truss (support) for the International Space Station arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in 1999. The Space Shuttle carried the truss in its cargo bay to the space station, where it was installed by astronauts.

To carry out extravehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalks, the crew exits the Space Shuttle through an airlock, wear­ing spacesuits. The airlock has room for two crew members to change spacesuits. An EVA that involves a complex task in the payload bay may last up to 6 hours. One of the tools that Space Shuttle astronauts may use is the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), a 50-foot (15-meter) articulating arm, remotely controlled from the flight deck. The arm has a video camera near its tip, so the operator can see clearly when doing delicate assembly or repair work.