NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Image above: With a rainbow serving as a backdrop in the sky, space shuttle Atlantis (foreground) sits on Launch Pad A and Endeavour on Launch Pad B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this photo taken Sept. 20, 2008. Image credit: NASA/Troy Cryder
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NASA's space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on April 12, 1981 and continued to set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, ended July 21, 2011 when Atlantis rolled to a stop at its home port, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As humanity's first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle pushed the bounds of discovery ever farther, requiring not only advanced technologies but the tremendous effort of a vast workforce. Thousands of civil servants and contractors throughout NASA's field centers and across the nation have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to mission success and the greater goal of space exploration.

› Where the Shuttles are Going
› What's Next for NASA?

The Space Shuttle Era
› Space Shuttle Era Site
› Shuttle History Showcase Videos
› The Space Shuttle - Interactive
› Shuttle Tribute Posters
› Shuttle Crew and Mission Posters
› Space Shuttle Spinoffs (312KB PDF)
› Space Shuttle Wall Chart (1MB PDF)
› Orbiter Status Updates
› Space Shuttle Era Fact Sheet (236 KB PDF)
› Discovery Fact Sheet (312KB PDF)
› Endeavour Fact Sheet (306KB PDF)
› Shuttle Commemorative Drawing by Brian Basset