Looks forward to the completion of the ISS, possibility of return to the moon, manned flights to Mars, and the prospect of safety and rescue far beyond.

Describes the role of Mission Control and recovery forces in ensuring the support from the ground to the crew in space.

Provides a unique range of historic archive of material on the Russian programme.

Presents a review of the Columbia accident, its investigation and various proposed rescue scenarios.

Details escape systems devised for rocket research aircraft, early manned spacecraft, abort and recovery options from Earth orbit, and from lunar distance.

Demonstrates that crew safety has been a factor in planning and mounting on all manned spaceflights.

Zusammenfassung

In Space Rescue: Ensuring the Safety of Manned Spacecraft, author David J. Shayler reviews the development of crew survival and escape methods from the earliest designs of manned spacecraft to the current discussions of systems for ISS and on to the future prospect of sending men and women out towards Mars.

David Shayler reviews the numerous proposed systems of crew rescue and also analyses the adopted systems of ejection seats, escape towers and abort profiles during the ascent from Earth to space, including the safety requirements and contingency procedures available during various mission profiles to get the crew safely back to Earth. The author also examines the various wilderness training programs and abort simulations used to help prepare the crews for almost any unplanned and emergency contingency they may face during their mission.

Inhalt
STS-107: Rescue or repair?.- Space: A final frontier.- Training to survive.- Pad escape.- Launch escape, 1: Escape towers.- Launch escape, 2: Ejection seats.- Away from Earth.- Return to Earth.