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General Discussion => Q&A Section => Topic started by: Zero-G on 02/25/2022 03:05 pm

Title: Early Space Shuttle concept as ambulance/hospital or for Red Cross?
Post by: Zero-G on 02/25/2022 03:05 pm

I recently stumbled over this artwork in a McDonnell Douglas ad from the 1970s of a Phase B orbiter concept. The prominent Red Cross markings puzzled me.
What is the story behind these markings? Have there ever been proposals or plans to use the Space Shuttle as "space ambulance" or "space hospital", that would mandate such markings, or even with the Red Cross organisation itself? What was the rationale for this?
Or is it just the result of an artist's phantasy running wild?

Same artwork can also be found on page I-240 in volume 1 of Dennis Jenkins' three-volume Space Shuttle book.

Title: Re: Early Space Shuttle concept as ambulance/hospital or for Red Cross?
Post by: RonM on 02/25/2022 04:15 pm

There was an amazing level of overconfidence in what the proposed program could do. Incredibly cheap access to space would lead to space stations, resources, industry, and thousands of people living in space. If those flights of fantasy came true then space ambulances would be reasonable. Of course, that didn't happen and it seems ridiculous to us today.

Title: Re: Early Space Shuttle concept as ambulance/hospital or for Red Cross?
Post by: libra on 02/26/2022 01:18 pm

That's an understatement. One flight per week, 52 flights per year over 1978-1990: that would have been 624 flights.
Put otherwise: at 52 flights annually, the Shuttle 135 flights we got in the end would have been spread, not over 30 years (1981-2011) but in a bit more than 2.5 years ! (52+52+26 = 130). 3 years instead of 30 years: that's 10X times the flight rate we got.

Title: Re: Early Space Shuttle concept as ambulance/hospital or for Red Cross?
Post by: Vahe231991 on 09/14/2023 08:15 pm

I found another photo of the McDonnell Douglas Phase B design study for a space shuttle configured for use as an ambulance/hospital at Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/apollo4ever/51891700159).

Title: Re: Early Space Shuttle concept as ambulance/hospital or for Red Cross?
Post by: Jim on 09/14/2023 08:41 pm

Quote from: Vahe231991 on 09/14/2023 08:15 pm

I found another photo of the McDonnell Douglas Phase B design study for a space shuttle optimized for use as an ambulance/hospital at Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/apollo4ever/51891700159).

"optimized"? how about just configured.

Title: Re: Early Space Shuttle concept as ambulance/hospital or for Red Cross?
Post by: Barley on 09/15/2023 06:46 pm

The Red Cross is not a symbol for a hospital or ambulance.  It has a couple of very specific meanings.  Protection under the Geneva conventions, or disaster relief and similar directly under the Red Cross organization.  A shuttle properly using the red cross is even more preposterous than a shuttle marked as an ambulance.

https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/Brand-Creative/153701-07-OGC-Trademarks-Flyer.pdf (https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/Brand-Creative/153701-07-OGC-Trademarks-Flyer.pdf)