Overview
Boeing is the major subcontractor to United Space Alliance, NASA's prime contractor for Space Shuttle operations. As such, Boeing's Space Exploration has performed design engineering and support for the Space Shuttle fleet since the first flight in 1981.
Boeing's Space Shuttle work is organized into the following areas:
- Ongoing engineering support
- System and payload integration
- Orbiter maintenance and modifications
- Shuttle upgrades
- Space Shuttle main engines
- Payload operations
Space Exploration contributes to the Space Shuttle program by:
- manufacturing the Space Shuttle
- providing design engineering and support
- designing new systems modifications and upgrades
- identifying overall shuttle system and payload requirements during all shuttle operations phases
- evaluating external structural loads, aerodynamics, heating and guidance; developing payload support hardware
- providing periodic orbiter major modifications of each vehicle
- upgrading the shuttle to improve safety and reliability, lower program costs, enhance performance and benefit future missions
- processing human space flight payloads under the CAPPS contract with NASA
In addition to supporting the Space Shuttle, Boeing continues to play many roles integral to NASA's human space flight program.
For more information, read the Space Shuttle (PDF) overview.
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading PDF files, it is available for free from Adobe.