Pre 1972

President Richard Nixon orders

NASA to create a national space
strategy. Shuttle designs and
operating systems are weighed
against each other. A reusable
winged obiter is chosen

1972
President Richard Nixon signs a
bill authorising NASA to develop
reusable space shuttles. The
space craft are designed to carry
7 astronauts and carry up to 22
000kg of cargo into low orbit

1976
The prototype of the space
shuttle, the Enterprise is
constructed without core
functions such as engines and
spaceflight. The shuttle tested
atmospheric conditions of the
space shuttles to help
development.

1986
Space shuttle Challenger
explodes during ascent due to a
failure in one of the booster
rockets.

1981
Space shuttle Columbia is sent
on its maiden voyage with
astronauts John Young and Bob
Crippen on board. The flight
lasts 54 hours and the shuttle
orbits earth 37 times before it
safely lands

1988
Space shuttle Discovery is on
the first space flight since the
Challenger disaster. The shuttle
has many new safety
improvements including a
redesigned booster so the same
failure does happen again.

1998
The external tank is redesigned
weighing 3400kg lighter.
2003
Space shuttle Columbia
explodes during atmospheric
re-entry due to debris piercing
the heat shield during launch.

space.
2005
Space shuttle Discovery is on
the first space flight since
Columbia exploded. Its flight
was to test new safety measures
such as a boom that could
detect for damage on the
shuttle.

2011
The space shuttles are used for
the last time.