The Space Shuttle

In the seventies, NASA began the design and construction of a new manned vehicle that would let astronauts travel to the space and go back to earth. Unlike previous spacecrafts the new vehicle would be reusable. On April 12, 1981 the first space shuttle was launched beginning a new era on space exploration history. The space shuttle has three components the external tank, the solid rocket busters and the orbiter, and it was designed to be launched like a rocket, orbit like a spacecraft and re-entry like a space plane.

Atlantis Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle Program: The end of an Era

First space shuttle was launched in April 1981. Almost 30 years later Space Shuttle program has reached its final stage. This era will end when Atlantis complete its last mission. But the history of the space shuttle didn't begin in the early eighties, it took around two decades before the first launch that the idea fo a reusable manned space vehicle became real.

It seems that the idea of a reusable spacecraft began in the fifties, but it wasn't until 1969 that the Space Task Group, a group of Engineers in charge of Manned Spaceflight program, recommended the development of a new space transport. NASA initiated studies and designs of the new space vehicle in 1970. On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon announced the project, and on March 15, NASA announced the final details of design. The new vehicle would consist of two rockets, an external tank and a transport vehicle called orbiter. That year NASA gave the contracts. Rockwell Rocket Dyne Division would construct the orbiter's main engines, Rockwell Space Transportation would desing and develop the orbiter, Martin Marrietta would construct the external tank, and Morton Thoikol the solid rocket boosters.

The first orbiter constructed was Enterprise. Curiously, it got its name due to a massive request made by fans of Star Trek. The Enterprise was primarily designed for testing, so no engines and heat shield were added. After the completion of tests, the orbiter was toured for many European countries and states of the United States, before its retirement. On november 18, 1985, the Endevour was moved to Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, where it was restored. Later, it was moved to National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar – Hazy Center at Dullest International Airport.