The Space Shuttles
Enterprise,
OV-101
(Retired)
(click to enlarge)
The first Space Shuttle Orbiter was to be named Constitution, but fans of the television series "Star Trek" waged a write-in campaign and convinced the White House to rename the vehicle. The Enterprise was built as a test vehicle and not equipped for space flight. Two NASA crews, Fred Haise and Gordon Fullerton, and Joe Engle and Dick Truly took turns flying Enterprise during five free-flight landings. The first free-flight test took place on 12 August 1977. On 18 November 1985, Enterprise was ferried to Dulles Airport, Washington, D.C., and became the property of the Smithsonian Institution. The Enterprise was on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport until it was replaced by the shuttle Discovery in April 2012. Enterprise was flown to JFK Airport in New York City on 27 April 2012. It was barged to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum in New York City in June 2012 and put on temporary display on the deck of the USS Intrepid until its permanent home is completed.
| Take-off of the Enterprise and the SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft) (credit - NASA) |
Separation of the Enterprise from the SCA. (credit - NASA) |
Landing of the Enterprise (credit - NASA) |
Columbia, OV-102
(Destroyed)
(click to enlarge)
Columbia was the oldest orbiter in the NASA fleet. The orbiter was lost during reentry on 1 February 2003, during the flight of STS-107. It made its first flight (STS-1) on 12 April 1981. Columbia was named after a sloop out of Boston, MA, captained by Robert Gray. On 11 May 1792, the sloop Columbia became the first to sail into what was later named the Columbia River.
View a slide show of Columbia being returned from Edwards after an overhaul.
Debris recovered from the Enterprise is stored in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral.
| Watch the launch of Columbia on the STS-107 mission. (credit - NASA) |
Challenger,
OV-099
(Destroyed)
(click to enlarge)
Challenger began life as a structural test article (STA-099). Challenger was converted to an operational orbiter vehicle (OV-099) after a 1978 decision not to convert the Enterprise (OV-101) to operational status. Challenger's first space flight occurred on 4 April 1983, as STS-6. Challenger was tragically lost during its tenth flight (51-L) on 28 January 1986. Challenger was named after an American Naval research vessel which sailed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the 1870's.
Recovered debris from Challenger is stored in two abandoned missile silos at Cape Canaveral.
Discovery,
OV-103
(Retired)
(click to enlarge)
Discovery was named after one of the ships used by James Cook (British explorer) in the 1770's. Discovery made its first flight (41-D) on 30 August 1984. The final flight was STS-133 which landed 9 March 2011. It accumulated a total of 365 days of flight and 148 million miles.
Discovery arrived at Washington Dulles 17 April 2012 and was placed on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. (Photos)
| Watch the launch of Discovery on the STS-102 mission. (credit - NASA) |
Atlantis,
OV-104
(Retired)
(click to enlarge)
Atlantis was named after the primary research vessel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute from 1930 to 1966. The first flight for Atlantis (51-J) was on 3 October 1985. The final flight was STS-135 which landed 21 July 2011.
Atlantis on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center in Florida.
| Watch Atlantis landing at Edwards AFB after the STS-98 mission. (credit - NASA) |
Endeavour, OV-105
(Retired)
(Built as a replacement for the Challenger)
(click to enlarge)
Like Discovery, Endeavour was also the name of one of James Cook's ships. The first flight of the shuttle Endeavour (STS-49) was on 5 May 1992. The final flight, STS-134, was launched 16 May 2011 and landed 1 June 2011. During its operational life, Endeavour spent 299 days in space, orbiting the Earth 4,671 times and traveling 122,883,151 miles.
Endeavour is on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photos)
| Watch the launch of Endeavour on the STS-99 mission. (credit - NASA) |
Pathfinder, OV-098
(Retired)
Structural test article
First off, note that Pathfinder is NOT actually one of the orbiters. It is a rebuilt structural test article made to look like an orbiter. The designation "OV-098" is UNOFFICIAL.
Pathfinder began life in 1977 as an UNNAMED and UNNUMBERED facilities test article. It is a steel and wood mockup which roughly approximates the size, weight, and shape of an orbiter. Its use was to check roadway clearances, crane capabilities, and fit within structures. After its use had ended, it was placed in storage.
In the early 1980's, it was purchased by the America-Japan Society and refurbished to look more like an actual space shuttle. It was then given the name "Pathfinder" and assigned an UNOFFICIAL designation "OV-098." It was on display at the Great Space Shuttle Exposition in Tokyo from June 1983 to August 1984, when it was returned to the United States and put on display at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Structural test article
|
Test article during fit test (Click to enlarge) |
| |
|
Test article frame before rebuild (Click to enlarge) Credit: Ke4roh |
Test article on display (Click to enlarge) Credit: Carol M. Highsmith |
Page last modified: 20 June 2022 17:00:12.
