How do you get aboard the Space Shuttle?

[Scarecrow]

I have a rather basic question. It's not exactly math or physics, but I wasn't sure where else to put it, so here goes:

With smaller vehicles, like the Apollo and Soyuz capsules, it's easy to see how astronauts get in: they open the hatch, get in, move a few feet to their seats, and sit down. But how do astronauts get from the launch tower to their seats inside the space shuttle, which has a much bigger cabin, with different rooms and such? Presumably there are hatches, but where are they? And once they're inside, are there ladders running along the "floor" (which would be vertical during launch), or are the back walls of all the compartments also a floor to be walked on, or what? Or maybe it doesn't actually have a proper floor (a surface with clear space to walk on), since most of the time anybody spends inside the shuttle is in free-fall, or sitting down, which would make the question even more interesting, and beg the question of how they get out again (when it's sitting on the tarmac). And where do astronauts other than the Pilot and Commander sit?

I've never seen many pictures of the inside of the shuttle. All these questions could probably be answered with some diagrams, but I can't find any.

 

[tblaxland]

There is a single side hatch for crew entry which leads in to the mid deck. Crew seated on the mid deck climb straight into their seats. From the mid deck to the flight deck there is a hatch and ladder. Crew climb through this hatch and up into their seats. The ground crew have temporary platforms that they use to stand on whilst strapping in the crew. IIRC, there are some videos around that show crew ingress, I'll see what I can find.

EDIT: No videos, but there are some panoramas of the flight deck and mid deck here that should give you a pretty good feel for the interior:
http://www.panoscan.com/CubicDemos/Shuttle.html

 

[Pound4]

I came across this website that has some AMAZING footage of space shuttle missions including the pre-launch preparations and getting into theirs seats. I JUST found this website and I think I'm going to bookmark it.

http://http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/

 

[Urwumpe]

Not even temporary platforms - the ground crew justs stands on the aft flight station and the payload bay windows. the shuttle flight deck is pretty small.

 

[zerofay32]

umm.... You may need to take the extra http:// out of the link.

Zerofay32


EDIT: Here's the correct link.

http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/

 

[Pound4]

Oops, my bad. :lol: