Knowra Space Shuttle program Space Shuttle program NASA’s program of reusable crewed spacecraft operated in low Earth orbit from 1981 to 2011. Its orbiters launched like rockets, carried payloads, and returned to land as gliders.
Space Shuttle orbiter : The winged spacecraft that carried the Shuttle crew and payloads and returned to Earth for reuse. The orbiter was the crewed, reusable centerpiece of each Shuttle mission.
Apollo program : NASA’s human spaceflight program that sent astronauts to the Moon between 1961 and 1972. The Shuttle was promoted as a follow-on to Apollo’s expensive, expendable launch systems.
International Space Station : A multinational crewed research laboratory assembled and continuously inhabited in low Earth orbit. Shuttle flights carried major station modules, crews, supplies, and assembly hardware.
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster : The 1986 loss of Space Shuttle Challenger and its seven crew members shortly after launch. The accident exposed failures in booster-joint design, risk communication, and launch decision-making.
Apollo command and service module : The crewed spacecraft used by Apollo astronauts for travel between Earth and the Moon. Unlike the Shuttle orbiter, it was a compact capsule designed for deep-space missions and ocean recovery.
Space Shuttle external tank : The large tank that supplied liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Shuttle’s main engines during ascent. It fed the orbiter’s engines and was discarded before reaching orbit.
Space Transportation System : NASA’s broader architecture for routine space transportation, centered on the Space Shuttle and including proposed supporting systems. The Shuttle was the principal element of this larger transportation vision.
Hubble Space Telescope : A space telescope launched in 1990 that observes the universe primarily in visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared light. Shuttle astronauts deployed Hubble and conducted five servicing missions that extended its life.
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster : The 2003 loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and its seven crew members during atmospheric reentry. Foam damage to the orbiter’s wing showed how recurring launch hazards had been normalized.
Soyuz spacecraft : A Russian crewed spacecraft family used for orbital transport and space-station missions. Soyuz provided a smaller, capsule-based alternative for crew transport to orbit.
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