ABSTRACT |
The Johnson Space Center (JSC) Flight Safety Office has developed this compilation of historical information on spacecraft crew hatches to assist the Safety Technical Authority in the evaluation and analysis of worldwide spacecraft crew hatch design and performance. Among the programs addressed are the United States Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz (a joint US-USSR project), and Space Shuttle Orbiter;; the Russian Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz, Progress, Almaz, Salyut, Mir, and Buran;; and the Chinese Shenzhou. The observations and findings are presented first by country and are then organized within each country section by program in chronological order of emergence. A host of reference sources used to augment the personal observations and comments of the author are listed in the reference section of this document. Careful attention to the selection and inclusion of photographs, drawings, and diagrams is used to give visual association and clarity to the topic areas examined. Because of the scope of this report, recommendations and conclusions are not offered. |