Discovery lifts off at the start of the STS-120 mission. 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 program.

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 Earth 37 times. Columbia carried a crew of two—commander John W. Young and pilot Robert L. Crippen.

Jul 7, 2023 · Demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew. Verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle – orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank.

Jun 2, 2023 · The world's first reusable spacecraft launched like a rocket, maneuvered in Earth orbit like a spacecraft and landed like an airplane. It was comprised of the orbiter, the main engines, the external tank, and the solid rocket boosters.

The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) was the first solid-propellant rocket to be used for primary propulsion on a vehicle used for human spaceflight. [1] A pair of them provided 85% of the Space Shuttle's thrust at liftoff and for the first two minutes of ascent.

The SRBs are used as matched pairs and each is made up of four solid rocket motor segments. The pairs are matched by loading each of the four motor segments in pairs from the same batches of propellant ingredients to minimize any thrust imbalance.

Dec 5, 2016 · The thunder of rocket engines rolled across the east coast of Florida as the Space Shuttle Columbia, mission STS-9, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on the morning of November 28, 1983. It was another exciting yet, in …

Nov 3, 2022 · It was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the United States and NASA. The Space Shuttle, officially known as the Space Transportation System (STS), was the first reusable spacecraft to carry humans into orbit.

STS-1 Fact Sheet. By Cliff Lethbridge. STS-1 — Columbia. 1st Space Shuttle Mission. 1st Flight of Columbia. Crew: John W. Young, Commander. Robert L. Crippen, Pilot. Backup Crew: Joseph H. Engle, Commander. Richard H. Truly, Pilot. Orbiter Preparations: Tow to Orbiter Processing Facility – March 25, 1979. Rollover to Vehicle Assembly ...

Sep 29, 2019 · To this day, theirs remains the closest to liftoff a shuttle crew ever reached, without actually breaking the shackles of Earth, igniting the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and launching into space. The STS-68 crew poses for their traditional pre-flight portrait.