User:Razr Nation/List of Space Shuttle orbiters

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Space Shuttle Enterprise took its maiden flight in 1977. It was the only orbiter to be built solely for unpowered atmospheric test flights and landings, unlike the rest of the orbiters, which were built for orbital space flights.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter was the orbital spacecraft of the Space Shuttle program operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the space agency of the United States. The orbiter was a reusable winged "space-plane", a mixture of rockets, spacecraft, and aircraft.[1] This space-plane could carry crews and payloads into low Earth orbit, perform on-orbit operations, then re-enter the atmosphere and land as a glider, returning its crew and any on-board payload to the Earth.[2] The Shuttle was originally conceived of and presented to the public in 1972. When the concept of the U.S. space station evolved into that of the International Space Station, which suffered from long delays and design changes before it could be completed, the service life of the Space Shuttle was extended several times until 2011 when it was finally retired.[3]

A total of six Orbiters were built for flight, and all were built by Rockwell International. The first Orbiter to fly, Enterprise, took its maiden voyage in 1977. It was built solely for unpowered atmospheric test flights and landings, while the remaining Orbiters were built for orbital space flights, as part of the full Space Shuttle package. Enterprise was partially disassembled and retired after completion of critical testing. Columbia was the first Orbiter to launch into space as a Space Shuttle, in 1981. In 1986, Challenger was destroyed in an accident after launch. Endeavour was built as Challenger's replacement, and was first launched in 1992.[4] In 2003, Columbia was destroyed during re-entry. Atlantis completed the last ever Shuttle flight, STS-135, on July 21, 2011.[3]

Orbiters[edit]

Name Picture OVD First flight Last flight Status[5] Ref.
Atlantis OV-104 STS-51-J
October 3–7, 1985 		STS-135
July 8–21, 2011 		Retired.
Displayed at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. 		[6]
Challenger OV-099 STS-6
April 4–9, 1983 		STS-51-L
January 28, 1986 		Destroyed
January 28, 1986 		[7]
Columbia OV-102 STS-1
April 12–14, 1981 		STS-107
January 16, 2003 		Destroyed
February 1, 2003 		[8]
Discovery OV-103 STS-41-D
August 30, 1984 		STS-133
February 24, 2011 		Retired.
Displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. 		[9]
Enterprise OV-101 ALT Free Flight #1
August 12, 1977 		ALT Free Flight #5
October 26, 1977 		Retired.
Displayed at Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, New York. 		[10]
Endeavour OV-105 STS-49
May 7, 1992 		STS-134
May 16, 2011 		Retired.
Displayed at California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. 		[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Orbiter". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  2. ^ "Shuttle Basics". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "STS-135: The Final Voyage". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  4. ^ "NASA Orbiter Fleet - Endeavour". Kennedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ "Orbiter Vehicles". Kenedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  6. ^ "Atlantis (OV-104)". Kenedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  7. ^ "Challenger (STA-099, OV-99)". Kenedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  8. ^ "Columbia (OV-102)". Kenedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ "Discovery (OV-103)". Kenedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ "Enterprise (OV-101)". Kenedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ "Endeavour (OV-105)". Kenedy Space Center. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
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