Space Shuttle

Richardson, Adele. Space Shuttle. 2000. 32p. ISBN 1-58340-052-4. Available at 629.44 RIC on the library shelves.

Travelling to space with disposable rockets is very expensive. Tasked by President Nixon to come up with a more cost effective vehicle to breach gravity, NASA engineers created the Space Shuttle, a flying vehicle that could re-enter the atmosphere and be reused on another trip.

Overall, six shuttles were built. Enterprise, the first one, never flew to space but was used to test the aerodynamics and the guidance systems. The other five (Atlantis, Endeavour, Discovery, Challenger, and Columbia) have all flown countless missions, connecting with the International Space Station, releasing and fixing satellites, and conducting science experiments.

The explosion of Challenger in 1986 almost grounded the shuttle program, but after engineering fixes the shuttles returned to the skies. In 2011, Atlantis flew the last mission to space.

This short books presents information on the most famous space vehicles, including its history and capabilities, as well as an overview of the many missions accomplished over three decades.