This volume, like the others, not only focuses upon the individual
missions within the decade but also upon key challenges facing human
space exploration at specific points within those years - from the
problems of simply breathing and eating in space to the challenges of
venturing outside in a pressurized spacesuit, the development of newer
and better space toilets, and the difficulties of locomotion on the
Moon. The Eighties was a time when traveling into space far more
commonplace. Examining in detail the American and Soviet fronts, Ben
Evans gives a comprehensive analysis of the varying fortunes of the U.S.
space shuttle in the Eighties, including its early test flights and
commercial flights, its problems, the 51L tragedy and its aftermath, and
the resumption of operations with STS-26. The U.S. story ends with
STS-37 in April 1991. In the Soviet sphere, two pivotal space station
efforts - Salyut 7 and its succesor, Mir - are considered, showing how
they were alike and different.