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It is hard to believe and somewhat sad that the US Space Shuttle Program is down to its final few flights. The space shuttle program has flown 131 missions for the past 29 years and is now winding down.
As of May 2010, there have been 132 space shuttle flights with only two shuttle flights left on the schedule which could be extended if needed. The actual name of the space shuttle is the Space Transportation System, which is why each mission has the title of STS-mission number*.
There have been six space shuttles, counting the first prototype that was never launched, Enterprise. Of the five shuttles’ that have been launched, two have been destroyed in accidents, Challenger and Columbia killing 14 astronauts. Three space shuttles are in service today, Endeavour, Atlantis and Discovery.
During the late 1960s, NASA was already studying what the next space vehicle after the Apollo Program would be. The idea of a space vehicle that could be reused was thought the best way to go and the space shuttle idea was born. On January 5, 1972, President Nixon announced that NASA would proceed with the development of the Space Shuttle program [1].
President Nixon (right) looking at Space Shuttle model - 1972.
Throughout the 1970s, development and building of the space shuttle Enterprise continued until it was ready to be tested in 1976. The Enterprise was attached to a modified 747 to test the various components of the shuttle. The last five of these tests, the Enterprise was released from the 747 where astronauts tested the gliding and landing capabilities of the new shuttle, landing at Edwards AFB in California.
1977 – Testing with the shuttle, Enterprise
The first shuttle to actually lift off and orbit the Earth was Shuttle Columbia. Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 12, 1981 with two astronauts, Commander John Young and pilot Robert Crippen. It seems like almost yesterday I watched that first lift off. This first flight lasted for two days with Columbia landing at Edwards AFB on April 14, 1981.
The Space Shuttle Program had many firsts in US space flight history, including:
Shuttle launches. In the left picture, you can see the shuttle actually breaking the sound barrier.
Mission STS-51L with the space shuttle Challenger was a much publicized flight with the first American teacher onboard. Sharon Christa McAuliffe was chosen to be the first teacher in space for the NASA Teacher in Space program and was to teach two classrooms live from the Shuttle. All around the US, schoolchildren watched the liftoff of the Challenger live.
Almost everyone now knows the phrase “go with throttle up” as it relates to the Challenger disaster and probably remembers where they were when they heard the news on the morning of January 28, 1986. At 73 seconds after liftoff at an altitude of 46,000 feet, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing everyone onboard. Among the crew was Astronaut Judith Resnik, who became the first American female astronaut to be killed during space flight.
The Space Shuttle program was put on hold for the next 2 ½ years for the investigation and modifications. The Space Shuttle program continued without a problem until the morning of February 1, 2003. After 15 days in space, the Shuttle Columbia was heading towards the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a landing when something went wrong and it disintegrated over Texas killing everyone onboard. Unknown at liftoff, a piece of foam broke off and damaged the shuttles thermal protection system that protects the shuttle during the heat of re-entry, causing Columbia to burn up.
1986 - Shuttle Challenger exploding after liftoff. 2003 - Shuttle Columbia breaking up over Texas.
Many people say that the Space Shuttle program has been a waste of money, yet these same people use the technology every day that the US space programs invented. The International Space Station (ISS) could not have been built without the Space Shuttle Program. The Hubble telescope couldn’t have been repaired and upgraded without the Space Shuttle program. Other inventions related to the US Space Shuttle program include:
As the US Space Shuttle program is winding down, the current US administration is changing plans by cancelling the Constellation Program, the spacecraft that was to replace the shuttle and also take Americans back to the moon. A part of the Constellation program could be kept, the Orion spacecraft. The fault of no decent plan after the Space Shuttle program goes back several administrations actually.
The Shuttle could continue past 2010 if needed, but it seems now that President Obama will rely on “renting” space on Russian ships to get Americans to the space station until commercial spacecraft are ready to carry US astronauts to the space station, which NASA hopes is by 2016.
STS-135, the final mission for the US Space Shuttle program occurred when Atlantis lifted off on July 8, 2011 at 11:36 AM EDT.
© May 5, 2010 Sam Montana
Resources
[1] NASA - President Nixon's 1972 Announcement on the Space Shuttle
NASA - Complete detailed listing of every shuttle mission
NASA History Division
I am old enough to remember when the first shuttle launched, and of course when the one blew up. Kids use to watch the launches at school then, now we hardly ever hear about them.
Excellent, well-written article, Sam. The space shuttle program has always held my interests, and especially the rapidity of space technological innovation.
Another exceptional article, Sam. I remember well where I was and what I was doing in the tragic 1986 Challenger explosion. The media had built up high expectations that resulted in awful consequences. With teacher, Krista McAuliff on board, as you say, students in classrooms and employees in workplaces watched the whole thing. The loss of the seven highly accomplished crew members and McAuliff was a big loss and a very sad day for America. From the beach in Florida, I witnessed the first launching of the Columbia from the Kennedy Space Center initiating the Space Shuttle flight program in April 1981 - an exciting moment.
Thank you. I never did see a launch or landing in person. In 1982 we were driving back from California and had it timed so we could watch the shuttle land at Edwards AFB, but it was delayed and I couldn’t wait. Looking back I should have had waited. I remember watching that first launch; it is hard to believe that was 29 years ago. I hope that this administration can settle on a future program soon.
Yep--29 years ago. The first shuttle launched on the day I was born--possibly the main reason that my dad remembers my birthday. Are there no plans for future programs?
Very well researched, indepth article! Terrific write Sam! I'm sorry I ran out of votes for today but will definately buzz this up!
I remember all the excitement in the 70's & 80's, this fantastically written article brought it all back!
Somewhere in my collection of junk I have a glossy sticker that flew aboard the Endeavour (STS 47, the 50th launch of a Space Shuttle) which was the first shuttle to lift-off on time (no countdown delays.) The sticker was gifted to me from a researcher student in Kent, England. A project from their University went up on Endeavour (a crystal-growing experiment as I recall. Again, -I have photographs she took of the result of this, somewhere...) and they were allotted a specific weight payload. They came in under-weighted, so they printed a roll of commemorative stickers and stuffed it into their flight package. Upon the project package's return to their University, everyone received a few of these stickers and my pal gave me one. I really should look for that and feature it, huh? Have you seen the unmanned mini-shuttle that was test-flighted recently? That thing is about the size of station wagon from the 60s! :-o
This is the end of an era, really, but renting from the Russians? They are turning a nice profit, too, like 50 million USD per passenger, right? Well, they're saying Spasiba to us for funding their space program now. Look at those Enterprise pictures, though! Doesn't it look really weird with the streamlined cone where the thrust nozzles are supposed to be? Airworthy but not spaceworthy--just a $250 million or more glorified glider...... The future of spaceflight should be civilian enterprise, but the problem is that there isn't a monetary return for it yet. You can convince Hollywood celebrities to pay 200 grand for a spaceflight, but can you convince them to pay $5 million for an International Space Station mission, and do you really want to cart them along for that? I wrote an article about the recent successes of civilian spaceflight here: http://factoidz.com/spaceshipone-the-recordbreaking-spacecraft-that-changed-the-status-quo/ but, I doubt that civilian spaceflight will be prepared to do anything relevant with the ISS by 2016 without heavy government financial backing (please, no more!). Great article, Sam.
I was living in West Palm Beach FLA when the shuttle blew up. I was in my car and saw this weird cloud in the sky. I didn't have my radio on but when I got home it was all over the news. It was a very very sad day. I was at a drive-in theater when man first walked on the moon - I was 16 years old and out on a date. They stopped the sound on the movie and we heard the broadcast through the speakers- "One small step for man one giant leap for mankind" I remember getting chills when I heard that. Each of those days is memorable for me.
Dustin, it is the end of an era, but I hope it's the start of an exciting new one in space. Judith, that must have been something to actually see it. TV was bad enough. I watched the Atlantis lift off yesterday for its last mission. Judith, I also wrote an article about the History of the Apollo Program at http://factoidz.com/the-40th-anniversary-of-the-first-moon-landing-and-the-history-of-the-apollo-program/
Ha! -I saw a program short that told about how NASA and the Space Program in general has helped the World and one item that I didn't know about was that NASA required a device that could 'vacuum-up' dust and liquids. The device had to be small, handheld with one hand, etc etc... They contracted Black & Decker with their specifications and the techies there created a 'hand vac' for the space program and, using what they learned and the science behind their research, released a 'civilian' version better known as the "Dust Buster!"
Stickman, NASA has several pages of just how many items we use every day that was invented because of the space program. I think more from the Apollo program than the Shuttle program. A number of small battery tools from Black & Decker. Here is the web page for NASA inventions: http://techtran.msfc.nasa.gov/at_home/athome.html
Great article.
This is outstanding work, Sam
This article was so interesting and perfect pictures to go along with it. Excellent research! Thumbs up.