Four fully operational orbiters were initially built: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. The first orbiter, Enterprise, was built in 1976 and used in Approach and Landing Tests, but had no orbital capability. If the landing occurred at Edwards, the orbiter was flown back to the KSC on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a specially modified Boeing 747. The orbiter was protected during reentry by its thermal protection system tiles, and it glided as a spaceplane to a runway landing, usually to the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC, Florida, or to Rogers Dry Lake in Edwards Air Force Base, California. At the conclusion of the mission, the orbiter fired its OMS to deorbit and reenter the atmosphere. The SRBs were jettisoned before the vehicle reached orbit, and the ET was jettisoned just before orbit insertion, which used the orbiter's two Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines. The Space Shuttle was launched vertically, like a conventional rocket, with the two SRBs operating in parallel with the orbiter's three main engines, which were fueled from the ET. Space Shuttle components include the Orbiter Vehicle (OV) with three clustered Rocketdyne RS-25 main engines, a pair of recoverable solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and the expendable external tank (ET) containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The Space Shuttle fleet's total mission time was 1,322 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes and 23 seconds. Operational missions launched numerous satellites, interplanetary probes, and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), conducted science experiments in orbit, participated in the Shuttle-Mir program with Russia, and participated in construction and servicing of the International Space Station (ISS). Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011, launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The first of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights beginning in 1982. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Over half a meter tall, this Space Shuttle is in scale to the Lego Saturn V, and would make the perfect companion piece.The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. Same scale as the Lego Saturn V (Approx 1:111).Functional wing flaps/elevons, body flap, and split tail rudder.Canadarm robotic arm (SRMS -Shuttle Remote Manipulator System) which was responsible for cargo, astronauts, hull examination, and the deployment and capture of satellites.Separating Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs).Large cargo bay with functional bay doors, featuring an Orbital Docking System, Canadarm, and satellite.…research and countless invaluable experiments that have changed our world. …countless communication and research satellites into orbit. …the interplanetary probes Magellan (to study Venus), and Galileo (to study Jupiter). …the first African-American woman in space, Mae Jemison, who will soon be honored in the Women of NASA set! …the invaluable Great Observatories: Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and Compton Gamma Ray Observatory into orbit. Since the launch of the first Space Shuttle 36 years ago, it has brought … …the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, who will soon be honored in the Women of NASA set! …the first African-American man in space, Guion Bluford. In 2019, the California Science Center will finish construction on an unprecedented display of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, setting it in its vertical full stack configuration, with Orbiter, External Tank, and Solid Rocket Boosters as if ready for liftoff. What better way to celebrate this achievement by remembering this iconic ship in Lego! This set is built to the same scale as the Lego Saturn V, and would make the perfect companion piece! Icon of a generation, the historic Space Shuttle did so much for connecting the world, exploring deep space, and conducting groundbreaking research.
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