Jan 06 2009
U.S. Space Shuttle Program is Launched
In January, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon announces that the United States should proceed at once with development of an entirely new type of space transportation system designed to help transform the space frontier of the 1970s into familiar territory, easily accessible for human endeavor in the 1980s, and ‘90s. The more practical, reusable space shuttle would afford the United States a continuous presence in space. In addition, the shuttle would not require the highly specialized skill of earlier manned rocket flights, freeing pilots to conduct scientific and engineering experiments in space. To fund the program, President Nixon signed a $5.5 million appropriations bill. (History Channel – www.historychannel.com)
The first space shuttle Enterprise was built as a test vehicle for landing tests; it was not designed for space travel. Five other shuttles were flown in space and they are Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor. The Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after launch in January, 1986, and the shuttle Columbia broke apart upon re-entry in February, 2003. The three shuttles, Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavor are now used to service the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as to continue with space experiments and ferrying satellites. Later this year, the final servicing mission is scheduled for the Hubble Space Telescope. At this time, the final missions of the space shuttle program will be in 2010. Visit www.nasa.gov for continued updates on present shuttle missions and to see past events.
