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  1. All images
    All images
    FunctionCrewed orbital launch and reentry
    ManufacturerUnited Space Alliance · Thiokol/Alliant Techsystems (SRBs) · Lockheed Martin/Martin Marietta (ET) · Boeing/Rockwell (orbiter)
    Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle

    Space Shuttle - Wikipedia

    • The Space Shuttle was the first operational orbital spacecraft designed for reuse. Each Space Shuttle orbiter was designed for a projected lifespan of 100 launches or ten years of operational life, although this was later extended. At launch, it consisted of the orbiter, which contained the crew and payload, the external tank (ET), and the two solid rocket boost… See more

    Space Shuttle: A Journey of Discovery and Tragedy
    Space Shuttle: A Journey of Discovery and Tragedy
    The Amazing Story of the Space Shuttle
    The Amazing Story of the Space Shuttle
    Overview

    The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle pro… See more

    Design and development

    In the late 1930s, the German government launched the "Amerikabomber" project, and Eugen Sanger's idea, together with mathematician Irene Bredt, was a winged rocket called the Silbervogel (German for "silver bird"… See more

    Mission profile

    The Space Shuttle was prepared for launch primarily in the VAB at the KSC. The SRBs were assembled and attached to the external tank on the MLP. The orbiter vehicle was prepared at the Orbiter Processin… See more

    Space Shuttle program

    The Space Shuttle flew from April 12, 1981, until July 21, 2011. Throughout the program, the Space Shuttle had 135 missions, of which 133 returned safely. Throughout its lifetime, the Space Shuttle was used t… See more

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    Table of Contents
    Quick Facts
    Overview
    Design and development
    Mission profile
    Space Shuttle program
    See also
    External links
     
  1. Space shuttle Columbia
    • According to 2 sources
    Space shuttle Columbia was the first shuttle to reach space when it was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Apr. 12, 1981. Columbia carried dozens of astronauts into space during the next two decades, reaching several milestones. The shuttle also underwent upgrades as technology advanced.

    Space shuttle Columbia: NA…

    space.com
    A new era in space flight began on April 12, 1981, when Space Shuttle Columbia, or STS-1, soared into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Astronaut John Young, a veteran of four previous spaceflights including a walk on the moon in 1972, commanded the mission.

    First Shuttle Launch - NASA

    nasa.gov
  2. People also ask
    When was the first Space Shuttle built?
    Construction began on a prototype on Jun. 4, 1974. That spacecraft was designated Enterprise. Its purpose was to perform test flights and landings, space shuttle Enterprise never flew into outer space. Construction on space shuttle Columbia began on Mar. 27, 1975.

    Space Shuttle Columbia: NASA's First Shuttle in Space | Space

    space.com
    When was the Space Shuttle Columbia launched?
    By Linda HerridgeNASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center Forty years ago, on April 12, 1981, NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia, attached… Get an overview of the STS mission, its crew and activities during this mission. An overview of Space Shuttle Columbia's flights.

    STS-1 - NASA

    nasa.gov
    What is a Space Shuttle?
    space shuttle, partially reusable rocket -launched vehicle designed to go into orbit around Earth, to transport people and cargo to and from orbiting spacecraft, and to glide to a runway landing on its return to Earth’s surface that was developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

    Space shuttle | Names, Definition, Facts, & History | Britannica

    britannica.com
    How did the Space Shuttle prepare for Columbia's first flight?
    In February 1981, the Space Shuttle Program passed major milestones to prepare for the orbiter Columbia’s first flight. Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida and Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston successfully completed the wet countdown demonstration test and the flight readiness firing (FRF) of Columbia’s main engines.

    40 Years Ago: Two Months Away From STS-1, the First Space ... - NASA

    nasa.gov
    How long did the Space Shuttle take to fly?
    During that time period the fleet logged 1,322 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes and 23 seconds of flight time. The longest orbital flight of the Shuttle was STS-80 at 17 days 15 hours, while the shortest flight was STS-51-L at one minute 13 seconds when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart during launch.

    List of Space Shuttle missions - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org
    Who were the first and last astronauts on the Space Shuttle?
    The first and last space shuttle crews: Doug Hurley (left, STS-135), Robert Crippen and John Young (STS-1), Chris Ferguson, Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim (STS-135) (NASA Photo, STS_1+STS135). The legacy of the Space Shuttle program was to some degree built around the results of its very first mission.

    The First Space Shuttle: 40 Years Since STS-1

    airandspace.si.edu
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  3. Britannica
    https://www.britannica.com/technology/space-shuttle

    Space shuttle | Names, Definition, Facts, & History | Britannica

  4. Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Space_Shuttle_missions

    List of Space Shuttle missions - Wikipedia

  5. National Air and Space Museum
    https://airandspace.si.edu/.../first-shut…

    The First Space Shuttle: 40 Years Since STS-1

    Apr 12, 2021 · Learn how the Space Shuttle program began with the launch of STS-1 on April 12, 1981, and the challenges and achievements of the first mission. See photos, videos, and stories of the crew, the vehicle, and the …

  6. Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-1

    STS-1 - Wikipedia

    STS-1 (Space Transportation System-1) was the first orbital spaceflight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The first orbiter, Columbia, launched on April 12, 1981, [1] and returned on April 14, 1981, 54.5 hours later, having orbited the …

  7. Videos of The First Space Shuttle

    bing.com/videos
  8. Space.com
    https://www.space.com/18008-space-s…

    Space shuttle Columbia: NASA's first shuttle in space

    Oct 26, 2021 · Space shuttle Columbia was the first shuttle to reach space when it was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Apr. 12, 1981. Columbia carried dozens of astronauts into space during the...

  9. NASA
    https://www.nasa.gov/mission/sts-1

    STS-1 - NASA

  10. NASA
    https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/this-week-nasa...

    This Week in NASA History: First Space Shuttle Mission, STS-1, …

  11. NASA
    https://www.nasa.gov/history/40-years-ago-two...

    40 Years Ago: Two Months Away From STS-1, the First Space …

  12. Space.com
    https://www.space.com/16726-space-s…

    NASA's space shuttle: The first reusable spacecraft

    Dec 11, 2017 · NASA's space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft. It launched like a rocket and returned to Earth like a glider, landing like an airplane on a long concrete runway. It was...

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