When Did The Space Shuttle First Fly
Space shuttle also called space transportation system 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.
When did the space shuttle first fly. 21 2005 after a ferry flight from edwards air force base in california. National aeronautics and space administration nasa. The first mission of the space transport system sts 1 or space shuttle flew on april 12 1981 ending a long hiatus in american space flight.
Serving for over 22 years it completed 27 missions before disintegrating during re entry near the end of its 28th mission sts 107 on february 1 2003 resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members. Why did the first space shuttle go into space. 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.
It was designed to fly in space and its first mission was another test of the space shuttle. The space shuttle s first flight. The last apollo lunar mission flew in december 1972 and the joint american russian apollo soyuz earth orbital mission closed in july 1975.
Regular flights of the space shuttle began on april 12 1981 with the launching of columbia. It was the first shuttle to fly into space in 1981. Launched by two solid rocket boosters and an external tank only the aircraft like shuttle entered.
Space shuttle discovery atop the shuttle carrier aircraft sca touches down at nasa kennedy space center s shuttle landing facility on aug. The space shuttle was a partially reusable low earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the national aeronautics and space administration nasa as part of the space shuttle program its official program name was space transportation system sts taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development. The automated launch sequence performed as specified and the energia rocket lifted the vehicle into a temporary.
Astronaut john young a veteran of four previous spaceflights including a walk on the moon in 1972 commanded the mission. Formally called the space transportation system sts it lifted off into space for the first time on april 12 1981 and made 135 flights. It launched for the first time on mission sts 1 on april 12 1981 the first flight of the space shuttle program.