A new NASA document entitled “Terrestrial Environment (Climatic) Criteria Handbook for Use in Aerospace Vehicle Development” (NASA-HDBK-1001A) has been developed and provides terrestrial environment information, data bases, models, recommendations, etc., for use in the design, development, trade studies, testing, and mission analysis for space (or launch) vehicles. This document is organized into 14 specific natural environment disciplines, of which some are: winds, atmospheric models, thermal radiation, precipitation-fog-icing, cloud cover, atmospheric electricity, geologic hazards, toxic chemical release, and sea state.

Atmospheric phenomena play a significant role in the design and flight of aerospace vehicles and in the integrity of the associated aerospace systems and structures. Environmental design criteria guidelines in this document are based on measurements and observations of atmospheric and climatic phenomena relative to various aerospace development, operational, and vehicle launch locations.

The natural environment criteria guidelines data presented in this document were formulated based on discussions with and requests from engineers involved in space vehicle development and operations; therefore, they represent responses to actual engineering problems and are not just a general compilation of environmental data.

This paper will address the basis for the information presented, the interpretation of the terrestrial environment guidelines given in this new handbook, and its application to the development of space vehicle design requirements. Specific examples of the handbook content and associated “lessons learned” are given.