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Space Shuttle Launch Schedules
Space Shuttle Information
NASA Space Shuttles
- Space Shuttle Missions
- Space Shuttle Atlantis
- Space Shuttle Discovery
- Space Shuttle Columbia
- Space Shuttle Challenger Crash
- STS 121
NASA Space Shuttles
There have been five space shuttles, the Challenger, Discovery, Endeavor, Atlantis, and Columbia, but there are only three still working. If you would like to read about the space shuttles, then this is a great place to start your search.
Space Shuttle Missions
There have been a number of space shuttle missions in the past, especially when the space shuttle is able to reused, unlike the rocket launches. Many of them are trips to the International Space Station in order to do maintenance.
Space Shuttle Atlantis
After an initial classified military mission, the space shuttle Atlantis has mainly been used for missions to space stations. It will be the first space shuttle to be retired after it completes its current mission doing service to the Hubble telescope.
Space Shuttle Discovery
The space shuttle Discovery is the oldest space shuttle still in use, and was the shuttle that launched the Hubble Space Telescope. It was named after a number of ships like the one James Cook used (HMS Discovery) and the ship Hudson used when he was looking for the Northwest Passage.
Space Shuttle Columbia
The Columbia was named for the Apollo 11 Command Module, as well as the first American ship to circumnavicate the world. It perished in February 2003, along with the seven crew members when it burned up on reentry.
Space Shuttle Challenger Crash
The space shuttle Challenger crashed in January of 1986 and America was shocked as it watched it happen on live TV. The reason for the crash was investigated and they decided that it was a burned O-ring that caused the explosion.
STS 121
The STS 121 was a maintenance trip to the International Space Station and safety testing for the space shuttle itself. It was a crew of 7 people and consisted of 2 women and 5 men. It was a successful journey.