For over two decades the space shuttle has been the flagship of America’s space program. From its home base in Cape Canaveral, Florida…A fleet of shuttles has carried mankind into space. Aboard these orbiting craft crews test new technologies, conduct research and launch and repair orbiting satellites and other craft.

The space shuttle is an engineering marvel. And it marked a change in America’s space program, replacing rockets with a plane-like, reusable orbiter…That glides home for a landing.

Getting the shuttle into orbit requires a lot of power. Twin booster rockets burn solid fuel and create 7 million pounds of thrust, together with the shuttle’s main engines…

Propelling the ship to the heavens at over 17,000 miles an hour.

The space shuttle Columbia was the first to liftoff on April 12, 1981, successfully putting the spacecraft through its paces. From there, missions rapidly grew in scope, and crews expanded to include people from all walks of life.

In 1983 Sally Ride became the first American woman in space… and Guion Bluford, the first African American.

Inside the shuttle’s ESA Spacelab module an array of scientific experiments have been conducted by payload and mission specialists. In extremely low gravity, they have extended our knowledge into the effects of space flight on the human body, the creation of new metals and alloys, and solar phenomenon.

Over the years the spacecrafts have been work horses, taking satellites and other valuable payload into orbit. In 1990 space shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope which ushered in a new era of space imaging and astronomical research.

Astronauts have also worked outside the shuttle using a robotic arm and even performing space walks to make repairs, like replacing Hubble’s faulty mirror. And the shuttle aided in the construction of the International Space Station, ferrying modules into space.

But the triumph of the shuttle program hasn’t been without its own share of tragedy.

In 1986 the orbiter Challenger met an untimely end, exploding 73 seconds after liftoff.

Aboard the craft was Christa McAuliffe, a high-school teacher and the first private citizen sent into space as part of the U.S. space program.

The shuttle program again met with disaster in 2003, when the shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry, losing a crew of seven.

Since then NASA has taken steps to ensure the safety and viability of the shuttle program. After a two and a half year hiatus, the shuttle program returned to space with the orbiter Discovery…and today continues its commitment to space exploration.