In 2011 the United States retired its iconic and beloved Space Shuttle fleet, it wasn't until 2020 with the launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission that America would once again be able to put men into space. Today all surviving shuttles are on display around the country. In addition to the shuttles listed below, the Space & Rocket Center In Alabama features the experimental mock-up shuttle Pathfinder on rocket boosters.
Their missions included launching interplanetary probes, the Hubble Space Telescope, numerous satellites, conducting science experiments, servicing and constructing the International Space State, and more.
The Shuttles and The Program
The plan for the shuttle program began in 1969 with plans for a system of reusable spacecraft. The first of the four orbital test flights occurred in 1981 and operational flights began the flowing year. Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and were flown a total of 135 missions over the life of the program.
- Base: They Were Launched From The Kennedy Space Center
- Duration: The Fleet's Total Mission Time Was 1,322 days, 19 Hours, 21 Minutes, and 23 Seconds
The five initial shuttles were the Enterprise, the Columbia, the Challenger, the Discovery, and the Atlantis. Of these, the Enterprise was built for approach and landing tests but had no orbital capability. Of the other four, two were lost in mission accidents - the Challenger in 1986 and the Columbia in 2003 (resulting in 14 astronauts killed). Later the Endeavor was built in 1991 to replace the Challenger.
The Space Shuttles:
- Enterprise: (Testing only)
- Columbia: (Lost in 2003)
- Challenger: (Lost in 1986)
- Atlantis
- Discovery
- Endeavor
Today all of the orbiters to survive their missions are on display. The Atlantis is on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the Endeavor is on display at the California Science Center, the Enterprise is on display at the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum in New York City, and the Discovery is at the Udvar Hazy Center.
- Engines: Their Engines Were Removed To Be Used On The Space Launch System
- Nozzles: Their RS-25 Nozzles Are Spare Nozzles Attached for Display Purposes
John F. Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center located on Merrit Island is home to the Atlantis Shuttle. Located at the Space Center is the Visitor Complex that exhibits various spacecraft and memorabilia. It has two IMAX theaters and a range of bus tours of the spaceport.
Its "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit has the Atlantis shuttle and the Shuttle Launch Experience - a simulated ride into space.
- Visitors: 1.7 Million Visitors In 2016
- Missions: 33 Mission
- Distance Traveled: Around 126,000,000 Miles (Over 525 Times The Distance From The Earth To The Moon)
- Orbited: Orbited Earth 4,848 Times
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The home of the Discovery shuttle is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Fairfax Country, Virginia. It is a large complex that holds numerous exhibits of which the Space Shuttle Discovery is the most notable. Other notable attractions include the Enola Gay and the Gemini 7 space capsule.
- Enola Gay: The Is The Boeing B-29 Superfortress Bomber That Dropped "Little Boy" On The City of Hiroshima, Japan in WW2
The Discovery was the third of the five fully operational orbiters built. It saw over 27 years of service and was launched and landed 39 times - more than any other spacecraft to date. When it was retired it had spent nearly a full year in space (cumulatively). It was the first of the shuttles to be retired.
California Science Center
The California Science Center is located in Exposition Park in Los Angeles next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. It is claimed to be the largest hands-on science center on the West Coast. As with the other centers, one of its main exhibits is its space shuttle - the Endeavour. It has many other prominent aircraft and spacecraft on display and a number of special activities like a motion simulator, and a climbing wall.
The Endeavour was the last of the space shuttles to be built, it was built to replace the loss of the Challenger. It was mostly built from spare parts and structural spares that were built during the construction of the Discovery and the Atlantis.
- Plans: There Are Plans For The Endeavour To Be Attached To an External Space Shuttle Fuel Tank
Oddly enough the Endeavour is still housed in a temporary structure at the Samuel Oschin Pavilion at the science center. There are plans for a permanent home for the Endeavour and for it to be attached to an external Space Shuttle fuel tank and to be raised into an upright position. But to date, these plans have not come to fruition. The external Space Shuttle fuel tank is the last mission-ready one in existence.
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
The Enterprise is at New York's must-see Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. The Museum has a massive range of exhibits some of the most notable being the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, a Lockheed A-12 supersonic reconnaissance plane, the cruise missile submarine USS Growler, and the iconic Space Shuttle the Enterprise.
The Enterprise was built to carry out atmospheric test flights after being launched from a modified Boeing 747.
- Spaceflight: Never - Test Platform