space shuttle

Lift-off of the space shuttle Atlantis on 18 October 1989.

Orbiter of the US space shuttle Discovery landing on a runway. Unlike previous spacecraft, the shuttle can be used again and again because the orbiter has a protective outer shell to prevent it from burning up during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

The vertical launch of a space shuttle from Cape Canaveral. The shuttle orbiter, its two huge fuel boosters, and its central fuel tank are clearly visible. The boosters break away after take-off and parachute down into the sea where they are recovered. The central fuel tank is partly discarded once empty.

Space shuttle Columbia takes off from Kennedy Space Center in 1993. Mission STS-58 was designed to study the performance of the human body in space. Columbia, the longest-serving of NASA's five space shuttles, is named after the sloop used by Robert Gray to explore the coast of British Columbia in 1792.

Astronauts take turns to test the simplified aid for extravehicular activity rescue (SAFER) system. Astronaut Mark Lee is seen here anchored to the shuttle's robotic arm, while Carl Meade uses chest-mounted controls to fly the backpack unit.

The shuttle's orbital manoeuvring system (OMS) pods are visible to the rear of the shuttle, behind mission specialist Bruce McCandless testing a mobile foot restraint (MFS).

The first space shuttle STS-1 awaits lift-off. This timed exposure shows clearly the intricate fixed and rotating service structures, as well as the launch platform itself.

Mission specialist Robert Curbeam makes the second of three space walks on STS-98. The mission delivered the US laboratory module Destiny to the International Space Station, where it will be used for medical science and materials research.

Leroy Cain (left side of the central aisle), the ascent/entry shift flight director of the STS-100 mission, is joined by astronauts and the 40 or more flight controllers who will help run the mission.

After nearly six years in space the Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was retrieved and returned to Earth in January 1990. Here the LDEF is being moved from the space shuttle to a transportation canister before disassembly for study.

The shuttle mission simulator (SMS) at the Johnson Space Center. Pilot Frederick Sturckow was accompanied by four fellow astronauts and two cosmonauts on STS-105 to the International Space Station in August 2001.

Reusable crewed spacecraft developed by NASA to reduce the cost of using space for commercial, scientific, and military purposes. The orbiter, the part that goes into space, is 37.2 m/122 ft long and weighs 68 tonnes. The prototype, Enterprise, was first flown on 12 August 1977. The first true shuttle, Columbia, was launched on 12 April 1981. After leaving its payload in space, the space shuttle can be flown back to Earth to land on a special runway 4.5 km/2.8 mi long and 91 m/300 ft wide, and is then available for reuse.

Four space shuttles were built initially: Columbia, Challenger, first launched on 4 April 1983, Discovery on 30 August 1984, and Atlantis on 3 October 1985. The rocket boosters were redesigned after Challenger was destroyed in a mid-air explosion in 1986, killing its seven astronauts. Flights resumed in September 1988. A replacement orbiter, Endeavour, was built, making its first flight in May 1992. The break-up of Columbia on re-entry on 1 February 2003 killed all seven astronauts aboard. NASA then halted all flights and established the Columbia Accident Investigation Board which recommended 15 safety changes. The first subsequent flight of a shuttle, Discovery, took place on 26 July 2005. When the flights were halted, there had been 113 shuttle flights.

The USSR produced Buran, a shuttle of similar size and appearance to the US one. It was launched on its first and only flight, without a crew, by the Energiya rocket on 15 November 1988. The Buran programme was abandoned almost immediately, and the craft that had flown into orbit was destroyed by the collapse of its hangar in 2002. Another craft, intended for test purposes, has been put on display in Australia and Bahrain. There is no prospect of returning Buran to service.

Although most of the US space shuttle's cargoes are uncrewed, two to eight crew members occupy the orbiter's nose section, and missions last up to 18 days, although 30-day missions may be possible with the addition of more fuel cells to provide power. In its cargo bay, the orbiter can carry up to 29 tonnes of satellites, scientific equipment, Spacelab, or military payloads. At launch, the shuttle's three main engines are fed with liquid fuel from a cylindrical tank attached to the orbiter; this tank is discarded shortly before the shuttle reaches orbit. Two additional solid-fuel boosters provide the main thrust for launch, but are jettisoned after two minutes.

A Boeing 747 aircraft is used to transport the shuttle from its usual landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California to its launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle is mounted piggyback on the Boeing 747 for the flight.

The Columbia disaster was attributed to a heat tile damaged during launch. The disaster led to an increased focus on astronaut safety and a decrease in the number of missions that space shuttles would have to fly. One high-profile programme that was abandoned on safety grounds was the proposed 2006 mission to upgrade and carry out maintenance on the Hubble Space Telescope.