spacecraft Vehicle designed to operate, with or without a crew, in a controlled flight pattern above Earth’s lower atmosphere. Since stream¬ lining is not needed in the high vacuum of this environment, a space¬ craft’s shape is designed according to its mission (see space exploration). Most spacecraft are not self-propelled; they are accelerated to the neces¬ sary high velocity by staged rockets, which are jettisoned when their fuel is used up. A major exception, the space shuttle orbiter, uses three onboard liquid-fuel main engines supplied by a disposable external tank and a pair of solid-fuel boosters to reach space. The spacecraft goes into an orbit around Earth or, if given enough velocity, it continues toward another destination in space. The craft may have its own small rocket engines for orienting and maneuvering. For internal power, Earth-orbiting spacecraft use solar cells and storage batteries, fuel cells, or a combination, whereas craft designed for deep-space missions usually carry thermoelectric gen¬ erators heated by a radioactive element. The enormous complexity of design, particularly of manned spacecraft with their millions of compo¬ nents, requires a high degree of miniaturization and reliability. See also LAUNCH VEHICLE.
spadefish Any of about 17 species (order Perciformes) of predomi¬ nantly tropical marine fishes with five or six vertical black bands on the deep, laterally compressed, silvery body. The bands may disappear with
age, and adults may be solid white, black, or silver. The Atlantic spade- fish (Chcietodipterus faber) ranges from New England to Brazil. It feeds primarily on marine invertebrates, particularly crustaceans and cteno- phores.
Spagnuolo, Pietro See Pedro Berruguete
Spahn, Warren (Edward) (b.
April 23, 1921, Buffalo, N.Y., U.S.—d. Nov. 24, 2003, Broken Arrow, Okla.) U.S. baseball pitcher. Spahn spent most of his career with the Boston (later Milwaukee) Braves (1942, 1946-64). He amassed 2,583 career strikeouts, giving him the third highest total in baseball history when he retired. His feat of winning 20 or more games in each of 13 sea¬ sons was also a record, as was his striking out at least 100 batters each year for 17 consecutive seasons (1947-63). His total of 363 wins established a record for left-handers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
Spain officially Kingdom of Spain Country, southwestern Europe. One of Europe’s largest countries, it is located on the Iberian Peninsula and also includes the Bale¬ aric and Canary islands. Area: 195,379 sq mi (506,030 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 44,079,000. Capitaclass="underline" Madrid. The people are pre¬ dominantly Spanish, though there are populations of Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Aragonese, and Roma (Gypsies or Gitanos). Languages: Castilian Spanish (official), Catalan, Galician, Basque. Religion: Chris¬ tianity (predominantly Roman Catholic). Currency: euro. Spain’s large central plateau is surrounded by the Ebro River valley, the moun¬ tainous Catalonia region, the Medi¬ terranean coastal region of Valencia, the Guadalquivir River valley, and the mountainous region extending from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic coast. Spain has a developed market economy based on services, light and heavy industries, and agriculture. Mineral resources include iron ore, mercury, and coal. Agricultural products include grains and livestock. Spain is one of the world’s major producers of wine and olive oil. Tourism is also a major industry, especially along the southern Costa del Sol. Spain is a constitu¬ tional monarchy with two legislative houses; the chief of state is the king, and the head of government is the prime minister.
Remains of Stone Age populations dating back some 35,000 years have been found throughout Spain. Celtic peoples arrived in the 9th century bc, followed by the Romans, who dominated Spain from c. 200 bc until the Visigoth invasion in the early 5th century ad. In the early 8th century most of the peninsula fell to Muslims (Moors) from North Africa, and it remained under their control until it was gradually reconquered by the Christian kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal. Spain was reunited in 1479 following the marriage of Ferdinand II (of Aragon) and Isabella I (of Castile). The last Muslim kingdom, Granada, was reconquered in 1492, and about this time Spain established a colonial empire in the Americas. In 1516 the throne passed to the Habsburgs, whose rule ended in 1700 when Philip V became the first Bourbon king of Spain. His ascendancy caused the War of the Spanish Succession, which resulted in the loss of numerous Euro¬ pean possessions and sparked revolution within most of Spain’s American colonies. Spain lost its remaining overseas possessions to the U.S. in the Spanish-American War (1898). (See Cuba; Guam; Philippines; Puerto Rico.)
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
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Spain became a republic in 1931. The Span¬ ish Civil War (1936-39) ended in victory for the Nationalists under Gen. Francisco Franco, who ruled as a dictator until his death in 1975. His successor as head of
state, Juan Carlos I, restored the monarchy with his accession to the throne; a new constitution in 1978 established a constitutional monarchy. Spain joined NATO in 1982 and the European Community in 1986. The 1992 quin- centennial of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage from Spain to the Ameri¬ cas was marked by a fair in Sevilla and the staging of the Olympic Games in Barcelona. In the late 20th century and into the 21st, some Basque sepa¬ ratists continued to resort to violence as they pressed for independence, but it was Islamic militants who were responsible for the March 11, 2004, bombings in Madrid that killed more than 200 people—the worst terrorist incident in Europe since World War II.
Spalatin Vspa-b-tonX, Georg orig. Georg Burkhardt (b. Jan. 17, 1484, Spalt, Bavaria—d. Jan. 16, 1545, Altenburg, Saxony) German humanist. He studied at the University of Erfurt and then joined a band of humanist scholars in 1505. Ordained a priest in 1508, he was appointed tutor to the heir of Frederick the Wise, elector of Saxony. In 1511 he befriended Martin Luther at Wittenberg, and, as librarian at Frederick’s court from 1512, he influenced the elector to protect Luther during the controversy over indulgences. He championed the Reformation at the Diet of Worms (1521) and under two subsequent electors of Saxony. In 1530 he helped Philipp Melanchthon prepare the text of the Augsburg Confes¬ sion. He was also influential in forming the Schmalkaldic League in 1531. He wrote many historical works, including Annales Reformationis (1718).