Review: Dunes and dreams, a history of White Sands National Monument: Intermountain Cultural Resource Center Professional Paper Number 55 by Michael Welsh

Review

Comparative evaluation of existing expendable upper stages for space shuttle

The use of existing expendable upper stages in the space shuttle during its early years of operation is evaluated. The Burner 2, Scout, Delta, Agena, Transtage, and Centaur were each studied under contract by their respective manufacturers to determine the extent and cost of the minimum modifications necessary to integrate the stage with the shuttle orbiter. A comparative economic analysis of thirty-five different families of these stages is discussed. Results show that the overall transportation system cost differences between many of the families are quite small. However, by considering several factors in addition to cost, it is possible to select one family as being representative of the capability of the minimum modification existing stage approach. The selected family meets all of the specified mission requirements during the early years of shuttle operation

Review of \u3ci\u3eLlano Estacada: An Island in the Sky\u3c/i\u3e edited by Stephen Bogener and William Tydeman

Island in the Sky aptly describes the Llano Estacado, the southern extension of the Great Plains that rises some 800 feet above the surrounding terrain in northwestern Texas and northeastern New Mexico. It is this expansive landscape that William Tydeman and Stephen Bogener have placed in the forefront of an excellent collection of essays and photographs that explore the connections between the region\u27s geography and culture. The plateau\u27s flat terrain- horizontal yellow, as historian Dan Flores has described it-invariably defines the Llano, but Stephen Bogener reminds us also that 85 percent of what the human eye registers on the Llano Estacado is sky. Its immensity dominates the landscape in many of the photographs included in the collection