The unloading and maneuvering of the space shuttle's payload were accomplished by the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System—a robotic arm designed and constructed in Canada, which led to it being colloquially known as the Canadarm.

Most elements of the International Space Station were installed over two decades

Space shuttles delivered storage carriers, docking compartments, airlocks, solar arrays, and labs, which were assembled in low Earth orbit. The station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, alongside maneuvering spacewalkers, has assisted with this assembly since its installation in 2001.

During the Space Shuttle program, NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft—two specially modified Boeing 747s—transported space shuttles between landing sites and launch facilities.

The Columbia disaster contributed to the end of the Space Shuttle program and NASA's reliance on commercial partners such as SpaceX and Boeing to transport astronauts and cargo.

View a 3D visualization of how space shuttles were built and launched into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Metal wreckage found in a Canadian farm turned out to be SpaceX spacecraft debris

The pieces of the wreck included a 36-kilogram aluminum spear more than 2 meters long, and its origins were confirmed by satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell. No government acknowledged or took accountability for the space trash, which SpaceX later quietly retrieved.

Developed by NASA and General Motors, Robonaut 2 became the first humanoid robot in space in 2011 and supported astronauts on the International Space Station through 2018.

Explore the interior and exterior of the Atlantis and Endeavour space shuttles, including their flight decks, cargo bays, and other compartments.

View a timeline of NASA's Space Shuttle program, which saw five reusable orbiters take a total of 355 astronauts across a combined distance of almost six trips to the sun.

Although it drew inspiration from spaceplane concepts of the 1920s, the Space Shuttle program began to take shape after the Space Race, as the US sought to establish a space station and a reusable transportation system for astronauts and satellites.

View a schematic of the space shuttle orbiter, including the layout of the flight deck and mid-deck for astronauts, the cargo bay for payloads, and various support systems, such as avionics equipment and the fuel system.

Major milestones of the Space Shuttle program's 135 missions included the launches of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the first American woman and African-American astronauts in space.

In honor of scientific exploration, all five launched space shuttles were named after ships that traveled the oceans, but a campaign from Star Trek fans led to the shuttle prototype being named Enterprise.

Since 2019, a free-floating robotic system named Astrobee has helped astronauts with routine tasks on the International Space Station.

In 2021 US dollars, space shuttles cost $65,400 per kilogram, making them the most expensive spacecraft for payloads greater than 20,000 kilograms.

Take a virtual tour of the International Space Station

The ISS is the largest human-made object in space. Its modules were meticulously connected by robotic arms and astronauts during slow, careful spacewalks, creating a structure with over eight miles of electrical wire.

Take a 360-degree tour of Discovery with Kathryn Sullivan and Charles Bolden, who flew together on the space shuttle during its deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope. (VR device-compatible)

Guide a ship to dock at the International Space Station

Dozens of ships dock at the ISS yearly, rotating astronaut crews and delivering supplies. This simulation lets you try docking a SpaceX Dragon 2 using the same interface and controls as NASA astronauts.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon was the first crewed spacecraft piloted by touchscreen

In May 2020, NASA astronauts flying SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the International Space Station used touchscreen controls instead of traditional switches and dials, a significant shift for astronauts and how they pilot and interact with spacecraft. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

SpaceX successfully caught a rocket booster in mid-air

As part of the fifth test flight of its Starship system, the Super Heavy booster used high-speed navigation systems, grid fins, and Raptor engines to steer itself onto the mechanical arms of a tower called Mechazilla.

Space trash forced astronauts on the International Space Station to take shelter

An inactive Russian satellite broke up into nearly 200 pieces, prompting astronauts on the space station to take shelter in a docked spacecraft and a capsule that could be used to escape in case of emergency.

The Challenger disaster grounded the space shuttle fleet for nearly three years, exposed deep flaws in NASA's leadership, and prompted significant changes to the agency's safety oversight and decision-making culture.

The Columbia disaster exposed fatal flaws in NASA's shuttle program

On Feb. 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry, killing all seven astronauts aboard. The tragedy revealed long-ignored safety warnings, leading NASA to ground the shuttle fleet and overhaul its safety culture.

Explore what Challenger was supposed to do on its mission

STS-51L's planned seven-day mission included deploying satellites, studying Comet Halley, conducting fluid dynamics experiments, and broadcasting live lessons from orbit—routine scientific and educational tasks that were never carried out after the shuttle was lost shortly after launch.

The Challenger disaster delayed the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope

The 1986 explosion of the space shuttle shortly after liftoff killed seven crew members and grounded NASA's space fleet. Scientists used the downtime to refine ground control software and upgrade telescope instrument sensitivity, but maintaining the telescope's clean room storage cost NASA approximately $6M per month.

Gregory Jarvis was an Air Force veteran who flew as a civilian payload specialist on Challenger

A Hughes Aircraft engineer with a background in electrical engineering, payload specialist Gregory Jarvis was assigned to STS-51L to study how fluids and satellite propellants behave in weightlessness during shuttle maneuvers.

In 1975, the Soviet Union fired a space cannon as part of testing a defense system that would prevent anyone from approaching and inspecting Soviet military satellites.

Watch a supercut of the various iterations of SpaceX's Starship rocket

The first version, called Starhopper, was named with the vision of developing rocket stages that could safely land after use, enabling reusability to cut costs. The endeavor was an enormous engineering challenge that required years of testing.