R.I.P. NASA Space Shuttle Program 1972-2010

Formally announced by President Nixon in 1972, NASA began to conceptualize the Space Shuttle program as early as 1968. One test shuttle, originally intended to be christened the Constitution but was quickly changed to Enterprise because of a deluge of letters from fans of Star Trek, was followed by five fully functional shuttles: the Columbia, delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in 1979, Challenger in 1982, Discovery in 1983, Atlantis in 1985, and the Endeavor in 1991. The five American shuttles would become the backbone of the world's space endeavors for almost forty years. A far more in-depth look at the program's history can be found on Wikipedia.com here.

Officially named the Space Transportation System (STS), the first shuttle mission, STS-1, was launched in 1981. It was followed by dozens of successful missions involving the launch of communication and GPS satellites and observatory platforms such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope.

The fleet has been used to deliver parts for the construction of the International Space Station and to carry personnel back and forth. Other international endeavors utilizing the shuttle include the servicing and crew rotation of the Russian Mir orbital station.

Notable American firsts involving the shuttle include the first woman and the first black man in 1983 followed by the first black woman in 1992. The first Hispanic and the first Arab followed in later flights.

The Space Shuttle program was not without tragedy. Two shuttles were lost in flight: the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986 and the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003. The entirety of both shuttle crews was lost with the vehicles. Replacing the Challenger shuttle, the Endeavor has been in service longer and completed more missions than its predecessor. The Space Shuttle Columbia, however, has not been given a replacement.

In 2006, NASA awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. the opportunity to develop part of the next-generation space vehicle system which will replace the current fleet sometime after it is shut down in 2010, a short press release can be found at Nasa.gov here. The new program, Constellation, is currently scheduled to become operational by 2014.

Currently, NASA is preparing to launch mission STS-125 which will be the last service mission for the Hubble Telescope before the fleet is decommissioned, a recent update of the mission's status can be found at Nasaspaceflight.com here. The aged fleet has served America, and the world over, very well and it will be missed.

Here again are the names in the fleet: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor, may they live forever in our memories and may they rest in peace.