Learn About Space Shuttle Missions

Since the first five test flights in 1977, there have been more than 130 space shuttle missions, sending astronauts into outer space to explore the planets, stars, moons and a whole lot more. The NASA Space Shuttle Program is officially known as… the Space Transportation System, and the shuttles are the space launch vehicles that the United States uses for all of its outer space missions. In the beginning, it was exciting for people to be able to watch space shuttle launches on television, but today, they have become so common place that not as many people watch the telecasts like they once did. Still, the idea of space travel is exciting to many, and there are a lot of people who are absolutely fascinated with the space program.

Types of Space Shuttle Missions

The space shuttle missions have been used for a number of purposes, including science, crystal growth, space physics and astronomy. There have been missions for servicing satellites such as Mir, as well as the International Space Station, and manned missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Space shuttles have carried satellites into outer space with a booster, where the booster can then send the satellite to an orbit higher than the shuttles are able to fly. Some of these satellites include the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and many TDRS satellites. Space shuttles have also been sent on interplanetary missions, including the Magellan probe, the Galileo spacecraft and the Ulysses probe.

Space Shuttle Disasters

There have only been two space shuttles destroyed in more than 130 missions, and a total of 14 astronauts have been lost in these accidents. The first disaster was with the Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded just 73 seconds after liftoff in 1986. In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed about 16 minutes before it was supposed to land. Following this disaster, the International Space Station had only a skeleton crew for two years. The failure rate of these space missions is one in every sixty five. Two return to flight missions proved successful, and the space shuttle missions were back on track once again.

The Shuttle Program Retires This Year

This year, the United States Space Shuttle Program is set to be retired, as to directives of former President George W. Bush. Originally, Project Constellation was to be the successor of the original shuttle program using the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, as well as the Orion Spacecraft. In 2010, the Barack Obama administration requested that Congress agree to using a smaller program that is less costly, and more involved with the private sector.

You can expect to see much more from the United States Space Program in the coming years, including new programs for space shuttle missions into outer space.