NASA Space Shuttles: The End of an Era
The first space shuttle to launch into orbit was Space Shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981. The final mission ended on July 21, 2011 when Space Shuttle Atlantis rolled to a stop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. There were great successes and failures during the three decades of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. The loss of the Challenger and Columbia crews were terrible tragedies. Other shuttle missions saved Hubble, allowed for the construction of the International Space Station, contributed significantly to earth science and prepared the way for man's future exploration of space. Images courtesy of NASA.
NASA Space Shuttles: The End of an Era
The first space shuttle to launch into orbit was Space Shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981. The final mission ended on July 21, 2011 when Space Shuttle Atlantis rolled to a stop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. There were great successes and failures during the three decades of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. The loss of the Challenger and Columbia crews were terrible tragedies. Other shuttle missions saved Hubble, allowed for the construction of the International Space Station, contributed significantly to earth science and prepared the way for man's future exploration of space. Images courtesy of NASA.