Fleet history

Below is a list of major events in the Space Shuttle orbiter fleet.

OV-101 Enterprise takes flight for the first time over Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California in 1977 as part of the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT).

Space Shuttle major events

Date	Orbiter	Major event / remarks
February 18, 1977	Enterprise	First flight; Attached to Shuttle Carrier Aircraft throughout flight.
August 12, 1977	Enterprise	First free flight; Tailcone on; lakebed landing.
October 12, 1977	Enterprise	third free flight; First with no tailcone; lakebed landing.
October 26, 1977	Enterprise	Final Enterprise free flight; First landing on Edwards AFB concrete runway.
April 12, 1981	Columbia	First Columbia flight, first orbital test flight; STS-1
November 11, 1982	Columbia	First operational flight of the Space Shuttle, first mission to carry four astronauts; STS-5
April 4, 1983	Challenger	First Challenger flight; STS-6
August 30, 1984	Discovery	First Discovery flight; STS-41-D
October 3, 1985	Atlantis	First Atlantis flight; STS-51-J
January 28, 1986	Challenger	Disaster starting 73 seconds after launch; STS-51-L; all seven crew members perished.
September 29, 1988	Discovery	First post-Challenger mission; STS-26
May 4, 1989	Atlantis	The first Space Shuttle mission to launch a space probe, Magellan; STS-30
April 24, 1990	Discovery	Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope; STS-31
May 7, 1992	Endeavour	First Endeavour flight; STS-49
November 19, 1996	Columbia	Longest Shuttle mission to date at 17 days, 15 hours; STS-80
October 11, 2000	Discovery	100th Space Shuttle mission; STS-92
February 1, 2003	Columbia	Disintegrated during re-entry; STS-107; all seven crew members perished.
July 25, 2005	Discovery	First post-Columbia mission; STS-114
August 28, 2009	Discovery	Carried Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Leonardo to ISS; STS-128
Planned fleet events
2010	Atlantis	Last planned Atlantis flight; STS-132
2010	Discovery	Last planned Discovery flight; last planned flight of the Space Shuttle program; STS-133
2010	Endeavour	Last planned Endeavour flight; STS-134[37]

Sources: NASA launch manifest,^[38] NASA Space Shuttle archive^[39]

Shuttle disasters

Main articles: Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch due to the failure of the right SRB, killing all seven astronauts on board. The disaster was caused by cold-temperature impairment of the SRB O-rings, a mission critical component. Repeated warnings from design engineers voicing concerns about the lack of evidence of the O-ring's safety when the temperature was below 53 °F (11.7 °C) were ignored by NASA managers.^[40]

In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry because of damage to heat tiles caused during launch. Ground control engineers made three separate requests for high-resolution images taken by the Department of Defense that would have provided a clearer understanding of the extent of the damage, while NASA's chief thermal protection system (TPS) engineer requested that astronauts on board the Columbia be allowed to leave the vehicle to inspect the damaged tiles. NASA managers intervened to stop the Department of Defense's assistance and refused the request for the spacewalk,^[41] and thus the feasibility of scenarios for astronaut repair or rescue by the Space Shuttle Atlantis were not considered by NASA management at the time.