The first space shuttle, Columbia, was launched into orbit with a two man crew (Commander John Young & Pilot Mark Crippen) on April 12, 1981.

The Space Shuttle allows human kind the ability to move large payloads into outer space, like pieces for the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope.

Originally there were five space shuttles: Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, and Endeavor.  Unfortunately Challenger was lost shortly after launch on January 28, 1986, as we read about in our literature books.  You can read more about Challenger by clicking its picture on the right.  A faulty O-Ring on its right rocket booster failed causing the explosion.

A second space shuttle disaster grounded the fleet for several years.  That was the disintegration of Columbia on February, 1, 2003 as it re-entered Earth's orbit.  The heat tiles that were to protect the underbelly of the shuttle came loose and fell off during launch and were unable to withstand the heat of reentry. You can read more about Columbia by clicking on its picture at right.

In the most recent shuttle mission (December 9--22, 2006 mission 116), Discovery brought 5,800 pounds of supplies and astronauts to replace those who had been living on the International Space Station since July.  The astronauts also rewired the station and constructed another truss.