Defining the shuttle : the spaceplane tradition / Roger D. Launius -- Designing the shuttle : living within the political system / Roger D. Launius -- Managing the space shuttle : leadership, change, and big technology / W. Henry Lambright -- Engineering the engine : the space shuttle main engine / R.E. Biggs -- Protecting the body : the orbiter's thermal protection system / Dennis R. Jenkins -- Revolutionizing electronics : software and the challenge of flight control / Nancy G. Leveson -- Flying the shuttle : operations from preparation through flight to recovery / N. Wayne Hale -- Using the shuttle : operations on orbit / Matthew H. Hersch -- Losing the shuttle (or nearly) : accidents and anomalies / Stephen P. Waring -- Constructing a port in orbit : the space shuttle and building the space station / Howard E. McCurdy -- A victory for clean interfaces : Europe's participation in the Space Shuttle Program / John Krige -- Living and working on the shuttle : the challenge of routine / Amy E. Foster -- Wowing the public : the shuttle as a cultural icon / Linda Billings -- Retiring the space shuttle : what next? / John M. Logsdon -- Epilogue / John Krige.