Space Transportation System (MJ)

The Space Transportation System (STS), is a system of reusable crewed space vehicles first envisioned in 1969 to support extended operations beyond the Apollo program. The program was first solely a Osean program and centered around the Space Shuttle, as the program progressed it greatly expanded in scope. The first international partner was the WSA which developed the WellowArm, later the program was joined by the CNES and NAXA who co-developed their own orbital transports as part of STS with help from OASA. As current STS has a total of 7 types of orbital vehicles that allow for frequent sustainable crew and cargo transport within the Earth Luna system.

The Space Transportaion System is centered on the Space Shuttle and a series crafts derived from it. The 1st Gen Space Shuttle is composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid or liquid rocket boosters and a reusable external fuel tank—carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50000 lb of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). The 2nd Generation Space Shuttle is air launched and composed of the Pathfinder type orbiter and its carrier aircraft. After release from it's carrier aircraft, the 2nd Gen Orbiter would climb to orbit using it's nuclear thermal RS-75 engine, carrying up 12 astronauts and up to 90000 lb of payload to LEO. When their missions were complete, both crafts would reenter the Earth's atmosphere and land like a glider at either the Basset Space Center or Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The STS is composed of two more uncrewed and three more crewed spacecraft. The Hope-X spaceplane is a uncrewed cargo transport developed by NAXA and launched by the H-II rocket. The Shuttle-C is composed of a reusable engine pod and expendable cargo fairing, allowing the launch of very outsize payloads to space, while still allowing for a degree of reusability. The Hermes spaceplane of the CNES, is designed for launch aboard the Ariane 5, providing crew transport and small-scale cargo delivery to low earth orbit. The Shuttle PLS is a OASA craft dedicated solely to crew rotation mission to LEO and serves a sister craft to the Crew Return Vehicle that provides lifeboat capabilities to space station crews in earth orbit.

The purpose of the system as originally visioned was two-fold: to reduce the cost of spaceflight by replacing the current method of launching capsules on expendable rockets with reusable spacecraft; and to support ambitious follow-on programs including permanent orbiting space stations around Earth and the Moon, and a human landing mission to Mars. These goals have largely been achieved, with Space Station Freedom, Collins Station, and the Ares Program all being undertaken using STS vehicles, along with numerous other large scale OASA programs underway or under planning. The Space Transportation System has flown nearly 900 missions and carried over 1300 astronauts from 12 countries, many on multiple trips.