What is a space shuttle?

The Space Shuttle was a spaceship utilized by NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Orbit Shuttle was used to transport humans and cargo into space. Satellites, space station components, and research experiments were sent into orbit by the space shuttle. It was a novel type of spacecraft since it could be reused several times.

The Space Transportation System (STS) was the official name for the space shuttle. It was used to orbit Earth, where its crew could conduct scientific research, launch satellites, and visit space stations. The space shuttles, which were launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, typically carried five to seven crew members. Six shuttles were constructed. Enterprise, the first orbiter, was built in 1974 for testing reasons. Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour were the other five. Endeavour was designed as a replacement after the space shuttle Challenger crashed 73 seconds after launch in 1986. Columbia disintegrated during re-entry in 2003. NASA's space shuttle program began with the first crewed flight in 1981 and continued until 2011, when the Atlantis completed its final mission.