STS-80 (Columbia)

This multifaceted science mission deployed and re-captured two satellites and tested the effects of spaceflight on the cardiovascular system. It was the longest Space Shuttle mission, lasting 17 days 15 hours.

The first reusable launch and landing spacecraft, the Space Shuttle began a new chapter of human space exploration. It launched like a rocket but landed on a runway like a plane. Shuttle crews deployed dozens of commercial satellites and two interplanetary probes to Venus and Jupiter. The Shuttle served as a mini space station and hosted hundreds of biomedical, psychological, physiological, materials science, and physics experiments that have directly benefited life on Earth. The five flight-worthy Shuttles -- Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour -- flew 135 missions over 30 years. The Shuttles helped construct the Russian Mir space station and brought nearly 80% of the International Space Station to orbit. Shuttles also deployed and serviced the Hubble Space Telescope.

Space Shuttle

Fourteen Sprague-Dawley Rats

United States of America

NASA

This astronaut crossed the Kármán Line (100 km), the internationally accepted boundary of space.

Crossed Kármán Line

This astronaut is in the top 5% for number of missions.

Frequent Flyer

This astronaut has spent over a month in space.

Space Resident

STS-51-F (Challenger)

The only NASA human mission to suffer an in-flight abort to date. Challenger lost one of three main engines 5 minutes 43 seconds after launch, forcing the crew to perform an Abort To Orbit; the Space Shuttle reached a lower-than-planned but safe orbit and successfully performed its mission. Three weeks earlier, a prior launch attempt ended with a pad abort at T-3 seconds and the emergency shutdown of Challenger's three main engines. The flight was co-sponsored by ESA and NASA and was a scientific research mission using Spacelab 2.

STS-33 (Discovery)

STS-44 (Atlantis)

The second unclassified Department of Defense Space Shuttle mission deployed the Defense Support Program satellite and supported numerous experiments.

STS-61 (Endeavour)

The mission to rescue Hubble. On this flight, Endeavour's seven-person crew saved Hubble by outfitting it with "glasses" to correct the telescope's blurry vision. The crew also significantly upgraded Hubble's instruments and solar arrays. The mission was a success has allowed Hubble to continue its career as a space telescope to this day.

STS-6 (Challenger)

The first flight of the Shuttle Challenger deployed the first of NASA's TDRS orbital communications satellites.

F. Story Musgrave

STS-96 (Discovery)

This flight was a resupply mission of Discovery to stockpile the International Space Station with equipment. The flight delivered parts of the Russian STRELA crane to the Station.

STS-52 (Columbia)

Columbia's crew deployed the LAGEOS-II satellite for NASA & Italy and carried out a variety of experiments inside and outside of the Shuttle. Some of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's ashes were carried to space on this mission.

STS-40 (Columbia)

This mission was the fifth flight of Spacelab and the first one dedicated specifically to biological research. It marked the first time three women flew together on a single mission.

STS-67 (Endeavour)

Astro-2 was the second Space Shuttle flight dedicated to ultraviolet observations of astronomical objects.

Tamara E. Jernigan

This astronaut visited the International Space Station.

ISS Visitor

STS-111 (Endeavour)

This Space Shuttle flight rotated the Expedition 4 and 5 International Space Station crews and delivered Canadarm2's Mobile Base System, which gave the arm extra reach and mobility.

STS-56 (Discovery)

This was the second flight of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science pallet and focused on the relationship between the Sun and the Earth. The mission deployed and re-captured the SPARTAN-201 satellite.

STS-69 (Endeavour)

This mission was largely a testbed for the International Space Station, allowing NASA to test construction tools and procedures as well as gather data on life support equipment needed for the Station.

STS-98 (Atlantis)

The first human spaceflight launch of the 21st century brought the U.S. Destiny lab to the International Space Station.

Kenneth D. Cockrell

STS-59 (Endeavour)

The Space Radar Laboratory-1 mission provided researchers an opportunity to study Earth's ecosystems from space.

STS-68 (Endeavour)

The Space Radar Laboratory-2 mission continued providing researchers with unique data on Earth's ecosystems. A launch attempt in August ended at T-1.9 seconds with an on-pad abort and emergency shutdown of Endeavour's engines when a failure was detected. It was the closest a Space Shuttle ever came to launching without actually leaving the pad.

Thomas D. Jones

STS-73 (Columbia)

The U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-2 mission was a public-private scientific partnership between the U.S. government, U.S. universities, and private industry.

STS-85 (Discovery)

This Discovery science mission deployed and re-captured an Earth atmospheric observation satellite and tested potential International Space Station hardware and robotics.

STS-100 (Endeavour)

Endeavour delivered Canadarm2, the ISS's robotic arm, to the International Space Station.

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