Finale

Abstract

As soon as NASA headquarters in Washington received confirmation that the presidential statement had been issued in San Clemente, Charles Donlan, director of the space shuttle program, sent a message to shuttle program manager Robert Thompson at the Manned Spacecraft Center, saying “NASA will proceed with the development of the space shuttle. The shuttle orbiter is expected to have a 15 × 60 foot payload bay, and a 65,000 pound payload capability. It will be boosted either by a pressure fed liquid recoverable booster or by solid rocket motors.” The message contained detailed instructions to guide the next phase of shuttle studies.