Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle, officially the Space Transportation System (STS) is an American-built space travel vehicle, designed to be capable of multiple flights. The shuttle was developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Missions on the shuttle last for up to two weeks, and carry five to seven astronauts. The shuttle is the first space vehicle designed to be reusable.[1]
NASA intends to close out the service life of the space shuttle program by completing work on the International Space Station by 2010, then switch over to the Orion class crew transport vehicle, using tried-and-true space capsule concepts from the 1960s which are designed to emphasize crew safety.
The Soviet Union worked on a space shuttle project as well known as the Buran program. The Buran program was canceled due to lack of funding and the declining political situation. The Buran shuttle was launched into orbit in an unmanned test flight that succeeded however it did not fly again.
American Space Shuttle Program
| Space Shuttle Name | Orbiter Designation | Current Status | First Flight | Last Flight |
| Enterprise | OV-101 | On display at the Smithsonian Institution. | February 15th, 1977 | October 26th, 1977 |
| Pathfinder | OV-098 | On display at the US Space & Rocket Center. | No flights made. | No flights made. |
| Columbia | OV-102 | Destroyed. | April 12th, 1981 | February 1st, 2003 |
| Challenger | OV-099 | Destroyed. | April 4th, 1983 | January 28th, 1986 |
| Discovery | OV-103 | Operational. | August 30th, 1984 | December 22nd, 2006 |
| Atlantis | OV-104 | Operational. | October 3rd, 1985 | September 21st, 2006 |
| Endeavour | OV-105 | Operational. | May 7th, 1992 | December 7th, 2002 |