Space Shuttle: Timeline

1972   President of the United States President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state [i] of the United States [i]. ... 

 Richard Nixon Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States [i], serving from 1969 to 1974. ... 

 orders the development of a space shuttle program.

1977   The space shuttle ''Enterprise'' test vehicle goes on its maiden "flight" while sitting on top of a Boeing 747 Boeing 747

|name =Boeing 747 |type =Airliner [i] ... 

.

1977   The NASA NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government [i], res ... 

 Space Shuttle makes its first test flight off the back of a jetliner.

1979   The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, ''Columbia'' Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space shuttle [i] in NASA [i]'s orbital fleet. ... 

, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, to be prepared for its first launch.

1981   The Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space shuttle [i] in NASA [i]'s orbital fleet. ... 

 launches on the STS-1 mission, returning to Earth on April 14.

1983   During STS-6, Space Shuttle ''Challenger Challenger

Challenger may mean: * Space Shuttle Challenger [i], the American space shu ... 

'' astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first space shuttle spacewalk (duration: 4 hours, 10 minutes).

1984   Space Shuttle ''Challenger Challenger

Challenger may mean: * Space Shuttle Challenger [i], the American space shu ... 

'' is launched on the 10th space shuttle mission.

1988   NASA NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government [i], res ... 

 resumes space shuttle flights, grounded after the Challenger Space Shuttle Challenger

Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle [i] orbiter to be put into service, after ... 

 disaster.

1995   STS-71: The Space Shuttle ''Atlantis Atlantis

Atlantis is the name of an island first mentioned and described by the classical Greek [i] ... 

'' docks with the Russia Russia

Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country [i] that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia [i] ... 

n Mir Mir

style="margin-left: inherit; font-size: larger;" | Mir ... 

 space station Space station

A space station is an artificial structure designed for human [i]s to live in outer space [i]. ... 

 for the first time.

1998   NASA NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government [i], res ... 

 announces the choice of United States Air Force United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerospace [i] branch of the United States armed forces [i] and one o ... 

 Lt. Col. Eileen Collins as commander of a future Space Shuttle ''Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space shuttle [i] in NASA [i]'s orbital fleet. ... 

'' mission to launch an X-ray X-ray

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation [i] with a wavelength [i] in the range of 10 to 0.01 nanometre [i] ... 

 telescope, making Collins the first woman commander of a space shuttle mission.

2005   The Space Shuttle Discovery Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery is one of three remaining spacecraft in the space shuttle [i] fleet belongi ... 

 is launched on its "Return To Flight" mission STS-114. This is the first Space Shuttle flight in nearly 2 1/2 years since the breakup of Space Shuttle ''Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space shuttle [i] in NASA [i]'s orbital fleet. ... 

'' on its return from mission STS-107.