{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.space-shuttle","code":"thing-q48806","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q48806/","name":"Space Shuttle","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"NASA's Space Shuttle (the Space Transportation System) was a partially reusable, vertically launched, runway-landing spacecraft system - winged crewed orbiter, expendable liquid-hydrogen/oxygen external tank, and two recoverable solid rocket boosters - flown 1981-2011 to deliver people and cargo to low Earth orbit and bring the orbiter and return cargo back to a runway.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise a Space Shuttle vehicle or assembly, assess its configuration and condition, and determine which operations its evidence and authority permit.","scope":{"in":["Identity of an orbiter or Shuttle assembly and the configuration represented by the record.","Integration state of the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters.","Vehicle condition relevant to launch, orbital operations, atmospheric entry and runway landing.","Payload accommodation, deployment and recovery interfaces.","Processing, reuse, decommissioning and preservation state."],"out":["NASA programme governance, funding and organisational history.","Mission objectives, trajectories and flight timelines as independently managed plans.","Internal design and operation of payloads, satellites and space stations.","Detailed component models for engines, boosters, tanks, avionics and thermal protection elements.","Launch-site, runway and museum facility management.","Individual astronaut qualifications and medical records."],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Distinguish the NASA Space Shuttle from another reusable spacecraft by documented vehicle identity and correspondence with the Shuttle orbiter and launch-stack architecture.","Distinguish an orbiter from a complete launch assembly by whether an external tank and paired solid rocket boosters are attached.","Distinguish a flight vehicle from a test article, trainer or replica through its construction identity, modification history and documented qualification role.","Distinguish the winged orbital vehicle from an aircraft or capsule by evidence of its orbital systems, protected atmospheric-entry surfaces and runway-landing configuration.","Distinguish an operationally configured vehicle from a preserved exhibit by documented removal, safing or replacement of flight systems."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"shuttle-identity-and-configuration","name":"Shuttle identity and configuration","description":"Establishes which physical article is represented and what constitutes it at a given time.","layers":[{"id":"article-identity","name":"Article identity","description":"Separates physical vehicle identity from programme names and exhibit labels.","findings":[{"id":"documented-shuttle-article","name":"Documented Shuttle article","description":"Record the designation, provenance and article role needed to establish what the object actually is.","questions":[{"text":"Which designation and physical identification evidence establish this article's identity?","id":"documented-shuttle-article-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is this a flight orbiter, test article, trainer, replica or another explicitly documented article type?","id":"documented-shuttle-article-q02","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"assembly-boundary","name":"Assembly boundary","description":"Defines the recorded Shuttle configuration and membership of its major elements.","findings":[{"id":"time-specific-stack-membership","name":"Time-specific stack membership","description":"Record whether the subject is an orbiter alone or an assembly, with identified attached elements and interface states.","questions":[{"text":"At the assessment time, does this record cover the orbiter alone or a stack including the external tank and boosters?","id":"time-specific-stack-membership-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which records establish the identities and attachment status of the major elements present?","id":"time-specific-stack-membership-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"phase-dependent-flight-capability","name":"Phase-dependent flight capability","description":"Connects installed systems and their condition to the distinct demands of ascent, orbital operation, entry and landing.","layers":[{"id":"ascent-and-orbital-control","name":"Ascent and orbital control","description":"Records propulsion, separation and control prerequisites for the assessed flight phase.","findings":[{"id":"phase-specific-system-availability","name":"Phase-specific system availability","description":"Record which propulsion and control functions the configuration supports and what evidence qualifies their use.","questions":[{"text":"Which installed propulsion, guidance and control systems are required for the proposed ascent or orbital operation?","id":"phase-specific-system-availability-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which unresolved faults, resource limits or separation constraints prevent release for that operation?","id":"phase-specific-system-availability-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"entry-and-runway-recovery","name":"Entry and runway recovery","description":"Records the orbiter's condition and configuration for thermal exposure, atmospheric control and landing.","findings":[{"id":"entry-to-landing-disposition","name":"Entry-to-landing disposition","description":"Relate thermal protection, aerodynamic surfaces, landing gear and braking condition to documented entry and landing constraints.","questions":[{"text":"What inspection evidence records the location and extent of thermal protection or aerodynamic-surface damage?","id":"entry-to-landing-disposition-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which applicable acceptance criteria and landing-system checks must be satisfied before entry and runway recovery are authorised?","id":"entry-to-landing-disposition-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"payload-and-crew-accommodation","name":"Payload and crew accommodation","description":"Captures what the orbiter can carry, support and interact with in its recorded configuration.","layers":[{"id":"payload-bay-and-external-interfaces","name":"Payload bay and external interfaces","description":"Defines payload compatibility and the equipment available for deployment, retrieval or docking.","findings":[{"id":"supported-payload-operations","name":"Supported payload operations","description":"Record accommodation limits and installed equipment needed for each proposed payload interaction.","questions":[{"text":"What payload envelope, mass, centre-of-gravity and service limits apply to this configuration?","id":"supported-payload-operations-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which installed restraints, handling equipment and docking interfaces support the proposed payload operation?","id":"supported-payload-operations-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"habitable-orbiter-capacity","name":"Habitable orbiter capacity","description":"Links crew accommodation to life-support resources, access and emergency provisions.","findings":[{"id":"configuration-specific-crew-support","name":"Configuration-specific crew support","description":"Record supported occupancy and duration using the actual cabin configuration and available resources.","questions":[{"text":"What occupancy and duration are supported by the installed accommodation and measured life-support consumables?","id":"configuration-specific-crew-support-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which vehicle provisions and restrictions govern crew access, emergency egress and any planned extravehicular activity?","id":"configuration-specific-crew-support-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"processing-and-reuse","name":"Processing and reuse","description":"Connects accumulated exposure, inspection, repair and servicing to the next permitted operation.","layers":[{"id":"flight-exposure-and-repair","name":"Flight exposure and repair","description":"Tracks the use history and defect dispositions relevant to continued service.","findings":[{"id":"reuse-evidence","name":"Reuse evidence","description":"Record flight and servicing exposure, component replacements and repair acceptance without treating all parts as equally reusable.","questions":[{"text":"Which flight cycles, operating durations and exceptional loads must be recorded for the orbiter and its life-limited components?","id":"reuse-evidence-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which inspection and repair records justify closing each defect before the next proposed operation?","id":"reuse-evidence-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"ground-servicing-and-release","name":"Ground servicing and release","description":"Records ground configuration, hazardous systems and operation-specific release conditions.","findings":[{"id":"safe-processing-state","name":"Safe processing state","description":"Identify hazardous inventories, connected ground equipment and outstanding work that constrain access or movement.","questions":[{"text":"What evidence establishes the current condition of propellants, pressure systems and pyrotechnic devices?","id":"safe-processing-state-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which safing steps, support fixtures and recorded releases are prerequisites for the proposed servicing, stacking or transport operation?","id":"safe-processing-state-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"retirement-and-preservation","name":"Retirement and preservation","description":"Represents the transition from flight hardware to decommissioned or preserved physical articles.","layers":[{"id":"decommissioned-configuration","name":"Decommissioned configuration","description":"Distinguishes retained flight hardware from removed, disabled or substituted systems.","findings":[{"id":"retained-and-removed-capability","name":"Retained and removed capability","description":"Record decommissioning changes and their implications for handling, interpretation and residual hazards.","questions":[{"text":"Which systems were removed, rendered inoperative or replaced with display substitutes, and where is that work documented?","id":"retained-and-removed-capability-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which former capabilities are absent, and which residual hazards remain unresolved?","id":"retained-and-removed-capability-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"conservation-and-display","name":"Conservation and display","description":"Records physical support, material condition and conservation constraints for a preserved Shuttle.","findings":[{"id":"preservation-compatible-intervention","name":"Preservation-compatible intervention","description":"Relate the article's condition and authenticity requirements to proposed cleaning, access, repair or movement.","questions":[{"text":"Which condition surveys identify deterioration of thermal protection, seals, glazing and structural support interfaces?","id":"preservation-compatible-intervention-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which conservation requirements and support limits govern a proposed intervention or relocation?","id":"preservation-compatible-intervention-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of Space Shuttle this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe the Space Shuttle's design, missions and history from authoritative sources.","Help catalogue and conserve retired orbiters and artifacts for the institutions that hold them.","Explain the causes of its two accidents as found by official investigations."],"mustNot":["Damage, remove parts from or climb on displayed orbiters and artifacts.","Trade in debris or parts that remain public property.","Misrepresent the causes of the Challenger and Columbia disasters or the crews involved.","Mock or exploit the memory of crew members who died."],"requiresHuman":["Any physical work on a preserved orbiter or flight hardware."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Fourteen astronauts died in two accidents; their memory and lessons on safety culture must be respected.","Public heritage should remain accessible and conserved."],"affectedParties":["Families of lost crews","Museum visitors","Space programme workers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The national space agency that operated it; retired orbiters are held by museums.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q30128","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.space-shuttle","Wikidata: Q48806 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48806)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vehicle identity and article role: Documented vehicle designation; flight orbiter, test article, trainer, replica or unresolved","Assembly configuration: Orbiter alone, partially integrated stack, integrated launch stack, separated elements or preserved configuration","Attached major elements: Identified external tank, boosters, payloads and support equipment, with effective dates","Mass and centre of gravity: kg and m relative to a documented vehicle datum, for a specified configuration and phase","Thermal protection disposition: Unassessed, inspected, damage recorded, repair pending or accepted against identified criteria","Propulsion and hazardous-energy condition: Configuration-specific inventory of propellants, pressure sources, electrical power and pyrotechnic devices; status may be unknown","Payload interface configuration: Installed payload restraints, services, handling equipment and docking interfaces, linked to compatibility evidence","Operational disposition: Processing, under assessment, released for a specified operation, restricted, decommissioned or preserved"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A white delta-winged orbiter with black heat-shield tiles on its underside and nose.","At launch, attached to a large orange external tank and two white rocket boosters."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Identify the orbiter or assembly and reconcile conflicting labels against provenance.","Assess whether documented configuration and inspection evidence support a proposed handling or flight operation.","Evaluate a proposed payload against the installed accommodation and interface limits.","Trace defects and repairs to restrictions on launch, orbital use, entry or landing.","Determine prerequisites for integration, servicing, separation or transport.","Plan authorised preservation work using the recorded safing state and conservation constraints."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Seal failure in a booster destroyed Challenger in 1986.","Heat-shield damage from foam impact destroyed Columbia on re-entry in 2003."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, United Nations, 1967.","Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, United Nations, 1975."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["The system historically transported crews and cargo to low Earth orbit, deployed and serviced spacecraft, and supported orbital research and station assembly.","Its winged orbiter returned crew and selected payloads to a runway after each mission.","Surviving vehicles and components are now encountered in museum displays, preserved hardware collections and historical engineering records."]}},"sources":[{"title":"NSTS Shuttle Reference Manual (1988 News Reference)","url":"https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/stsref-toc.html","note":"System architecture, stack elements, dimensions, propulsion, payload bay, abort modes, and operational description used for definition, kinds, measurements, and neighbours."},{"title":"Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report, Volume I","url":"","note":"TPS/RCC and external-tank foam debris failure mode, organizational hazards, and post-2003 return-to-flight constraints."},{"title":"Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident","url":"https://history.nasa.gov/rogersrep/genindex.htm","note":"SRB field-joint O-ring failure, cold-weather launch hazard, and range/crew-safety findings."},{"title":"Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System","url":"","note":"Orbiter identities (OV numbers), tank and booster variants, payload-to-orbit figures, and how the vehicle was used across the programme."},{"title":"Wikidata item Q48806: Space Shuttle","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48806","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Space Shuttle","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does the registry intend Space Shuttle to mean the NASA system specifically, the orbiter alone, or a broader class of reusable spacecraft?","Does an existing Vercy world model already own this concept or any boundary proposed here?","Which test articles, trainers and replicas should be instances of this model, and which should only link to it as representations?","Which authoritative configuration records and acceptance documents supply vehicle-specific limits without conflating different orbiters or historical periods?","How should separated, replaced or preserved major elements retain their relationship to a particular Shuttle assembly over time?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q48806/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q48806/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex","Grok"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-07T09:59:07Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:31+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 3 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}