Early Program Development. NASA public domain image colelction.

This 1989 artist's rendering shows how a Shuttle-C would look during launch. As envisioned by Marshall Space Flight Center plarners, the Shuttle-C would be an unmanned heavy-lift cargo vehicle derived from Space Shuttle elements. The vehicle would utilize the basic Shuttle propulsion units (Solid Rocket Boosters, Space Shuttle Main Engine, External Tank), but would replace the Orbiter with an unmanned Shuttle-C Cargo Element (SCE). The SCE would have a payload bay lenght of eighty-two feet, compared to sixty feet for the Orbiter cargo bay, and would be able to deliver 170,000 pound payloads to low Earth orbit, more than three times the Orbiter's capacity.

shuttle c msfc marshall space flight center program development shuttle c cargo element space shuttle elements space shuttle main engine orbiter cargo bay marshall space flight center plarners heavy lift cargo vehicle shuttle propulsion units sce payload bay lenght earth orbit solid rocket boosters orbiter pound payloads eighty two feet sixty feet program development external tank three times astronauts rocket engines rocket technology nasa

01/01/1989

NASA

https://images.nasa.gov/

Public Domain Dedication (CC0)