Nasa space shuttle names list tv#

Due to his training, physical size (as the spacecraft were quite cramped), and favor amongst his peers, Gagarin was selected to be the first human cosmonaut (they had already sent dogs) to make the journey. Gagarin was further selected to become part of the Sochi Six, an elite group of cosmonauts who formed the backbone of the Vostok program. Yuri Gagarin before a space flight aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, April 12th, 1961. In 1960, he was selected alongside 19 other pilots to join the newly-formed Soviet Space Program. Born in the village of Klushino in the Smolensk Oblast on March 9th, 1934, Gagarin was drafted into the Soviet Air Force in 1955 and trained in the use of jet fighters. Yuri Gagarin:Īs the first man to ever go into space, no list of famous astronauts would be complete without Yuri Gagarin. So without further ado, here are just a few of the most famous astronauts, along with a list of their accomplishments. And some have made such immense contributions that their names will live on long after we too have passed away. Nevertheless, in the course of human space exploration, some names do stand out more than others. Surely, all astronauts are deserving of recognition and respect for their bravery and contributions to the pursuit of knowledge. And second, it can be hard to objectively measure just how important and individuals contributions really are. But asking “who is the most famous?” is somewhat tricky. across from the campus of the University of Southern California (USC).There have been many astronauts who have made tremendous contributions to our knowledge of space. Scheduled to be placed on permanent display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Scheduled to launch on its 25th and final flight no earlier than May 2, 2011. It utilizes the British spelling and is named in honor of Capt James Cook's ship of exploration.

Recently completed its final mission in 2011 and is slated to be placed on permanent display at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Annex next to Dulles International Airport in McLean, Virginia.Įndeavour (OV-105) - Built as replacement to Challenger name chosen during a nation-wide contest by school children. A combination of a design deficiency in the solid rocket boosters (SRBs), compounded by lower than normal and freezing temperatures overnight played contributing factors in the failure of 'O' rings in the SRBsĪtlantis (OV-103) - Currently in use Scheduled to fly the last shuttle mission in the 30-year history of the STS program in June 2011 after which it will be placed on permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center.ĭiscovery (OV-104) - The 'workhorse' of the fleet, completing the most diverse space missions in the history of the program, including two 'Return to Flight' missions after the loss of Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. 28, 1986 with crew of seven approximately 73 seconds into flight during mission STS-51L over the Atlantic Ocean after launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is currently on display at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Annex next to Dulles International Airport in McLean, Virginia, but is scheduled to be relocated to the Intrepid Air-Sea-Space Museum in New York City.Ĭhallenger (OV-102) - Second operation vehicle made its public debut during 4th of July ceremonies at NASA-Dryden while president Ronald Reagan attended landing of space shuttle orbiter Columbia after mission STS-4, declaring the STS program 'fully operational.' Flew first flight on STS-6 in 1984. Once planned to be retrofitted for orbital flight, it was deemed too heavy and cost-prohibitive to be accomplished. It later performed 'fit checks' at launch pads 39A and 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida and SLC-6 (Space Launch Complex #6) at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Orbital Vehicle #101 was used for the initial Approach & Landing Tests (ALTs) of the Space Transportation System (STS) at NASA-Dryden Flight Reseach Center, Edwards AFB, Calif.

Nasa space shuttle names list tv#

1, 2003 over the state of Texas.Įnterprise (OV-101) - Originally was to be named 'Constitution' by president Gerald Ford, but was changed after a write-in campaign by fans of the 1960's ' Star Trek' TV series. 12, 1961) Vehicle lost with crew of seven aboard near conclusion of STS-107/Spacelab mission during re-entry on Feb.

First launched on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of the first human spaceflight (Soviet Air Force pilot Maj. The names of the space shuttles are: Columbia, Enterprise, Challenger, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour.Īnd here is some interesting information about each one:Ĭolumbia (OV-099) - 1st reusable space shuttle to orbit Earth.