The Space Shuttle -

: Known for carrying the first American woman and African American into space; destroyed 73 seconds after liftoff in 1986.

The Space Shuttle, officially known as the , was the world’s first partially reusable spacecraft, operating from 1981 to 2011. Over 30 years, the program flew 135 missions , launched 355 people from 16 countries, and traveled more than 542 million miles. The Space Shuttle

The Shuttle system consisted of three primary components that worked together for launch: : Known for carrying the first American woman

: The "workhorse" of the fleet, it flew 39 missions, including the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. officially known as the

Five flight-worthy orbiters were constructed for the program:

40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Enterprise rolls to the Pad - NASA