M7+-+3


 * Category 3 – Shuttle Missions **

The **Space Shuttle //Enterprise//** ([|NASA] [|Orbiter Vehicle Designation]: OV-101) was the first [|Space Shuttle] built for [|NASA]. It was constructed without engines or a functional [|heat shield], and was therefore not capable of space operations. Originally, //Enterprise// had been intended to be refitted for orbital flight, which would have made it the second space shuttle to fly after [|//Columbia//].[|[2]] However, during the construction of //Columbia//, details of the final design changed, particularly with regard to the weight of the fuselage and wings. Refitting //Enterprise// for flight would have involved dismantling the orbiter and returning the sections to subcontractors across the country. As this was an expensive proposition, it was determined to be less costly to build [|//Challenger//] around a body frame (STA-099) that had been created as a test article.[|[2]] Similarly, //Enterprise// was considered for refit to replace //Challenger// after the latter was [|destroyed], but [|//Endeavour//] was built from structural spares instead. Its first flight was on February 15, 1977. Enterprise never flew into outerspace. The purpose of this shuttle was to perform test flights in the atmosphere. || NASA Shuttle || //Atlantis// made its first flight in October 3, 1985 to October 7, 1985, conducting classified military activities, one of five such flights. In 1989, //Atlantis// deployed two planetary probes, [|Magellan] and [|Galileo], and in 1991, it deployed the [|Compton Gamma Ray Observatory]. Beginning in 1995, //Atlantis// made seven straight flights to the [|Russian] [|space station] [|Mir]. On the second Mir flight, it delivered a docking module, and on the subsequent flights, it conducted [|astronaut] exchanges. Its last mission will be to the Hubble Telescope and then retire in 2010. It is one of the three currently active orbiters. || NASA Shuttle || //Challenger'//s many spaceflight accomplishments included the first American woman, African-American, and Canadian in space, three [|Spacelab] missions, and the first night launch and landing of a Space Shuttle. //Challenger// was also the first space shuttle to be destroyed in an accident during a mission. The collected debris of the vessel are currently stored in decommissioned [|missile silos] at [|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station]. From time to time, further pieces of debris from the orbiter wash up on the [|Florida] coast.[|[2]] When this happens, they are collected and transported to the silos for storage. Because of her early loss, //Challenger// was the only space shuttle that never wore the NASA [|"meatball" logo]. Its first flight was on April 4, 1983 to April 9, 1983. on January 28, 1986, the shuttle disintegrated after launch killing all 7 astonauts on board. || NASA Shuttle || The mission [|ended in disaster] following the destruction of //Challenger// 73 seconds after lift-off because of the failure of an [|O-ring] seal on //Challenger//'s right [|Solid Rocket Booster (SRB)]. The failure of the seal allowed a blow-torch like flare to impinge upon one of two aft SRB attach struts, which eventually failed, freeing the booster to pivot about its remaining attachment points. Subsequently, the forward part of the booster cylinder impacted the external tank (ET) intertank area, leading to a structural failure of the ET - the core structural component of the entire stack. A rapid burning of liberated propellants ensued. With the structural "backbone" of the stack compromised and breaking up, the SRBs flew off on their own, as did the orbiter, rapidly disintegrating due to the overwhelming aerodynamic forces. Evidence found in the remnants of the crew cabin showed that several of the emergency air supplies (PEAPs) carried by the astronauts had been manually activated, suggesting that the forces during breakup of the orbiter were not inherently fatal and that at least some crew members were alive after the craft broke up. The tenth mission for //Challenger//, STS-51-L was scheduled to deploy the second in a series of [|Tracking and Data Relay Satellites], carry out the first flight of the Shuttle-Pointed Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN-203)/Halley's Comet Experiment Deployable in order to observe [|Halley's Comet], and carry out several lessons from space as part of the [|Teacher in Space Project] and Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP). The flight also marked the first [|American] [|manned mission] to involve in-flight fatalities, and the first American manned mission to launch and fail to reach space, the first in the world being [|Soyuz 18a]. || NASA Shuttle || This was a multi-disciplinary [|microgravity] and [|Earth] [|science] [|research] mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in [|orbit]. One of the experiments, a video taken to study atmospheric [|dust], may have detected a new atmospheric phenomenon, dubbed a "TIGER" (Transient Ionospheric Glow Emission in [|Red]). **STS-107** was a [|space shuttle] mission by [|NASA] using the [|Space Shuttle Columbia], launched [|January 16], [|2003]. The seven-member crew died on [|February 1], [|2003] when the shuttle [|disintegrated] during [|re-entry] into the [|Earth's atmosphere]. The cause of the accident was a piece of [|foam] that broke off during launch and damaged the thermal protection system components (reinforced carbon-carbon panels and [|thermal protection tiles]) on the leading edge of the left wing of the [|Shuttle orbiter], causing an extensive heat build-up. During re-entry the damaged wing slowly overheated and came apart, eventually leading to loss of control and total disintegration of the vehicle.
 * Enterprise
 * Atlantis
 * Challenger
 * Discovery - Its first flight was August 30 1984. Discovery was the shuttle to launch the hubble telescope. This is the oldest orbiter in the service. Discovery was made for both research and International Space Station assembly missions. Discovery has been chosen twice as the return flight to orbiter. This means it was the first shuttle to go into space after the disaster of the Challenger and Columbia. It is one of the three currently active orbiters.[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/DiscoveryVABrollout.jpg/200px-DiscoveryVABrollout.jpg width="180" height="210" caption="Space Shuttle Discovery" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DiscoveryVABrollout.jpg"]] || NASA Shuttle ||
 * Columbia - Its first flight was on April 12, 1981. Columbia was made for research and skylab missions. The craft broke up in flames on February 3, 2003 after reentering the atmosphere. This was caused by a hole in one of the wings. The hole was formed from a piece of insulating foam during the launch. Hot gases penetrated the wing, destoying the support structure causing the rest of the shuttle to break apart. [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/STS-107_launch.jpg/200px-STS-107_launch.jpg width="171" height="224" caption="Space Shuttle Columbia" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:STS-107_launch.jpg"]] || NASA Shuttle ||
 * Endeavour - Its first flight was on may 7 1992. The Endeavour was constructed in 1987 to replace the challenger. It was built for space lab and space station missions. It delivered the Unity Module to the ISS in December 1998. After the disaster of Columbia, Endeavour received some major hardware upgrades. An electronic display system, an advanced GPS receiver, and safety upgrades were added. Endeavour is one of the three currently active orbiters.[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Endeavour_on_the_launch_pad_prior_to_STS-113%2C_Nov_22%2C_2002.jpg/200px-Endeavour_on_the_launch_pad_prior_to_STS-113%2C_Nov_22%2C_2002.jpg width="132" height="238" caption="Space Shuttle Endeavour" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Endeavour_on_the_launch_pad_prior_to_STS-113%2C_Nov_22%2C_2002.jpg"]] || NASA Shuttle ||
 * STS 1 – Columbia - The first flight of Columbia on April 12, 1981, exactly 20 years after the first manned space flight. This was also the first U.S. manned launch. The objectives of this mission was to check out the overall shuttle system, accomplish a safe ascent, and return to Earth safely. All of these of objectives were successful, and the shuttles worthiness as a space vehicle was verified.[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Sts-1-patch.png/201px-Sts-1-patch.png width="201" height="213" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sts-1-patch.png"]] || NASA Shuttle ||
 * STS-51L – Challenger - The mission used [|Space Shuttle //Challenger//], which lifted off from [|Launch Complex 39-B] on [|January 28], [|1986] from [|Kennedy Space Center], [|Florida].
 * STS 107 – Columbia -[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Crew_of_STS-107%2C_official_photo.jpg/200px-Crew_of_STS-107%2C_official_photo.jpg width="181" height="130" caption="Rear (L-R): David Brown, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon; Front (L-R): Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, William McCool" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Crew_of_STS-107%2C_official_photo.jpg"]]

Questions: 1. When did Atlantis first launch? 2. What two shuttles disintegrated? a) Endeavour and Columbia b) Discovery and Challenger c) Enterprise and Atlantis **__d) Columbia and Challenge  __** **__ r __** 3. What shuttle replace Challenger? a) Discovery b) Enterprise **__c) Endeavour__** d) Atlantis 4. Which shuttle never flew into outerspace? a) Atlantis **__b)Enterprise__** c) Challenger d) Columbia 5. Name two of the three still active Orbiters.
 * __ a ) October 3 1985 __** b) June 1 1968 c) August 20 1970 d) March 16 1980
 * __Atlantis, Endeavor, and Discovery__**

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NASA Space Shuttles http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html