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A look back at the history of the space shuttle program The Atlantis was the last shuttle of NASA’s space program, launching 30 years after shuttle Columbia’s first space flight in 1981.
Aug. 12, 1977
The space shuttle Orbiter Enterprise "earns its wings," as it clears its 747 carrier aircraft to begin the first free flight of the spacecraft. Astronauts Fred Haise and Gordon Fullerton piloted the Enterprise during its maiden flight.
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AP
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Dec. 18, 1980
Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center check a reading during a simulated launch of space shuttle Columbia in Huntsville, Ala. The Huntsville Operations Support Center assisted Kennedy Space Center, where Columbia was undergoing shuttle integrated tests.
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AP
April 12, 1981
The space shuttle Columbia lifts off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., the first flight of this reusable spacecraft, at Kennedy Space Center.
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AP
Nov. 13, 1981
President Ronald Reagan gets a laugh from NASA officials in Mission Control when he jokingly asks astronauts Joe Engle and Richard Truly if they could stop by Washington en route to their California landing site so he could come along. The STS-2 crew was in their next-to-last day on orbit when the conversation took place.
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NASA
June 10, 1983
The prototype space shuttle Enterprise flies over New York City on its return trip from Europe. The shuttle, mounted piggy-back atop a Boeing 747, extended its brief overflight by 20 minutes at the request of New York City Mayor Edward Koch to NASA.
Richard Drew
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AP
Feb. 12, 1984
Mission Specialist Bruce McCandless II is seen hovering farther away from the confines and safety of his ship than any previous astronaut had ever been. After a series of test maneuvers inside and above space shuttle Challenger's payload bay, McCandless went "free flying" to a distance of 320 feet away from the Orbiter.
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NASA
Oct. 6, 1984
Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan uses binoculars for a magnifed viewing of Earth through Challenger's forward cabin windows.
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NASA
Feb. 13, 1984
Astronaut Bruce McCandless II tests a Mobile Foot Restraint attached to the Remote Manipulator System aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
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NASA
Jan. 28, 1986
The space shuttle Challenger lifts off Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. The entire crew of seven was lost in an explosion 73 seconds into the launch.
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AP
Jan. 28, 1986
The space shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lifting off from Kennedy Space Center.
Bruce Weaver
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AP
Jan. 28, 1986
Spectators at Kennedy Space Center react in horror after they witness the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.
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AP
Jan. 28, 1986
Workers transport debris from the Challenger to a storage site on the Canaveral Air Force Station. An unused Minuteman Missile silo was being used to store debris.
James Neihouse
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AP
Aug. 2, 1991
The space shuttle Atlantis streaks skyward as sunlight pierces through the gap between the orbiter and ET assembly.
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NASA
Feb. 19, 1997
Attached to the "robot arm," the Hubble Space Telescope is unberthed and lifted up into the sunlight during the second servicing mission designated HST SM-02.
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NASA
Nov. 23, 2002
A couple sits by a campfire as they watch the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour from Merritt Island, Fla. Endeavour carried a crew of seven on a crew exchange and construction mission to the International Space Station.
Duffin Mcgee
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Reuters
January 2003
The space shuttle Columbia crew members strike a flying pose for their traditional in-flight crew portrait in the research lab aboard the shuttle. Clockwise from left are Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, Laurel B. Clark, and Rick D. Husband. All seven died when the shuttle broke up during reentry. This picture was developed from a roll of unprocessed film recovered by searchers from the shuttle's debris.
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AP
Feb. 1, 2003
Debris from Columbia streaks across the sky over Tyler, Tex. Amateur photographer Scott Lieberman shot a series of photos showing the breakup of the space shuttle from his back yard in Tyler.
Scott Lieberman
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AP
March 7, 2003
The funeral for Columbia shuttle astronaut Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson was held at Arlington Cemetery. Honor guards carried the coffin. They were followed by his wife Sandra, daughters Kaycee, 9, and Sydney, 11, and his parents, Bobbie and Barbara Anderson.
Susan Biddle
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The Washington Post
Aug. 8, 2007
The space shuttle Endeavour lifts off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Endeavour blasted off for a construction mission to the international space station, carrying a former teacher who first trained for space flight with the ill-fated Challenger crew.
Scott Audette
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Reuters
Aug. 8, 2007
Spectators watch from the Rotary Riverfront Park pier in Titusville, Fla., as Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from Kennedy Space Center.The mission was the first flight for Endeavour since December 2002.
Chip Somodevilla
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Getty Images
March 24, 2009
President Obama, joined by congressional leaders and middle school students from the D.C. area, congratulates the astronauts on the International Space Station and the space shuttle Discovery on a very long-distance phone call.
Bill O'Leary
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The Washington Post
April 9, 2010
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov, left, Mikhail Kornienko and Alexander Skvortsov share a meal at the galley in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.
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Reuters/NASA
May 16, 2010
Space shuttle Atlantis is seen as it approaches the international space station during STS-132 rendezvous and docking operations on May 16, 2010 in space.
NASA
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Getty Images
May 23, 2011
The International Space Station and the docked space shuttle Endeavour, left, at an altitude of approximately 220 miles. The photo was made possible by Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli from the Soyuz TMA-20 following its undocking. A Soyuz capsule had never headed for home while a shuttle was parked at the space station, providing a rare opportunity for the photo session.
Paolo Nespoli
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AP
Feb. 28, 2011
Partially inside, partially outside the Quest airlock on the International Space Station, astronaut Alvin Drew prepares to begin his shared spacewalking duties with astronaut Steve Bowen.
NASA
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Getty Images
May 28, 2011
The space shuttle Endeavour with a backdrop of a nighttime view of the Earth and the starry sky, while docked at the International Space Station. This was the final flight for the Endeavour.
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AP/NASA
June 1, 2011
Space shuttle Endeavour makes its final landing at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Endeavour completed a 16-day mission to outfit the International Space Station. Endeavour spent 299 days in space and traveled more than 122.8 million miles during its 25 flights.
Bill Ingalls
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NASA
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