12 Space Shuttle Moments

[T.Murali]

12 Space Shuttle Moments To space, and back again-- with a teacher The space shuttle Endeavour is back in action again. And even though NASA plans to retire its venerable space shuttle fleet before 2010 comes to an end, the space shuttle program can still make a little history. When Endeavour launched on Wednesday, it finally put a teacher into space: 55-year-old Barbara Morgan. Well, actually, it put a teacher-turned-astronaut into space. Shuttle commander Scott Kelly said, "I don't have a teacher as a crewmember. I have a crewmember who used to be a teacher." That's because after teacher Christa McAuliffe died in the Challenger disaster of 1986, NASA ended its "Teacher in Space" program. McAuliffe's backup, Barbara Morgan, was invited back--but not until 1998, and only if she gave up teaching to become a full-time astronaut. Morgan says, "Christa was, is, and always will be our 'Teacher in Space,' our first teacher to fly. She truly knew what this was all about--not just bringing the world to her classroom, but also helping to show the world what teachers do." So today, for us, it's hats off to teachers, and a review of 12 other key moments in the space shuttle program. * August 1977 - NASA's space shuttle program takes flight as the space shuttle Enterprise lifts off the back of a modified Boeing 747 and glides to Edwards Air Force Base. Designed to test the structural integrity and free-glide abilities of the shuttle, Enterprise was never made for space. April 1981 - The space shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the first shuttle astronauts: commander John Young and pilot Robert Crippen. Columbia launches again in November, becoming the world's first reusable spacecraft. June 1983 – Riding the space shuttle Challenger, astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to fly in space. August 1983 - Just two months after Ride's historic flight, mission specialist Guion Bluford becomes the first African-American to fly in space, also aboard the Challenger. February 1984 - Astronauts Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart leave Challenger with "rocket packs," for the world's first untethered spacewalk. January 1986 - After 24 successful missions, the space shuttle program experiences its first tragedy. Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff, killing its seven-person crew. An investigation blames cold weather, questionable safety procedures, and faulty O-ring seals on the solid rocket boosters. The investigation and resulting safety changes keep the program grounded for more than two years. April 1990 - The shuttle Discovery lifts off with the most famous payload in the program's history: the Hubble Space Telescope. High hopes for the multi-billion-dollar project are quickly dashed when defects in the Hubble's main mirror prevent it from focusing properly. (But see below!) December 1993 - During perhaps the most complex shuttle mission ever attempted, the crew of the Endeavor fixes Hubble's vision. After five spacewalks totaling more than 35 hours, four astronauts complete repairs to the telescope and redeploy it into orbit. The Hubble subsequently turns in years of spectacular service. November 1996 - Columbia makes the longest space shuttle flight yet, spanning almost 18 days with a crew of five. October 1998 - John Glenn returns to space aboard the Discovery, 36 years after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. Participating in a variety of experiments to test the effects of space flight on aging and the human body, the 77-year-old senator and former Mercury astronaut becomes the oldest person ever to fly in space. December 1998 - The Endeavor lifts off to begin assembly of the International Space Station. Using the shuttle's robotic arm, astronauts attach their payload, the American-built Unity node, to the orbiting Russian-built Zarya module. It's the first of many shuttle launches to help assemble what will become the largest orbiting structure ever made. February 2003 - More than two weeks after its launch, Columbia breaks up during re-entry, killing its seven-person crew. An investigation points to chunks of foam insulation from the shuttle's external fuel tank that fell onto the shuttle's left wing during takeoff, damaging its heat-protective tiles. It's the beginning of the end for NASA's shuttle program. --Christopher Call

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Yours Lovable  T.Murali

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