T2=The Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) rises majestically above Launch Complex 39's Pad A on the first leg of its maiden journey into space. The Sunday morning liftoff came a few seconds after 7am and marked the dawn of a new era in spaceflight, April 12, 1981.
T3=NASA's eighth Space Shuttle launch (STS-8) lights up the Florida sky at 2:32am on August 30, 1983. The Challenger's third flight is the first to have its beginnings in darkness.
T4=An Astronaut participates in an extravehicular activity (EVA), a few meters away from the cabin of the shuttle Challenger during mission STS 41-B. The Astronaut is using a nitrogen-propelled hand-controlled manned maneuvering unit (MMU). This EVA is performed without being tethered to the shuttle. February 11, 1984.
T5=The third NASA Space Shuttle, Discovery, begins its maiden voyage (STS 41-D) behind the thrust of three main engines and two solid rocket boosters at KSC's Launch Pad 39A. Discovery's official launch time was 8:41am, August 30, 1984.
T6=The liftoff of the first flight of Atlantis and the STS 51-J mission. This image, photographed from the support structure at Launch Pad 39A, captures the first moments of the initial blastoff. The view is from below the orbiter and shows its solid rocket boosters firing. October 3, 1985.
T7=Liftoff of the Shuttle Challenger for the STS 51-L mission at 11:38am on January 28, 1986. The orbiter has just left Launch Pad 39B. This was the 25th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th Challenger liftoff. An explosion 73 seconds after liftoff claimed crew and vehicle. Shuttle flights were halted while an extensive investigation into the accident and assessment of the Shuttle program was conducted.
T8=STS-31 Discovery, Orbital Vehicle (OV) 103, approaches the Edwards Air Force Base, California, landing facility on April 29, 1990. This view was captured moments before the landing gear was deployed and shows the Shuttle's underside of carefully placed heat shield tiles.
T9=Endeavour, Orbital Vehicle (OV) 105, forward flight deck controls as viewed during the Shuttle's manufacture, assembly, and checkout, January 17, 1991. Overall view looks from the aft flight deck forward, showing displays and controls. Endeavour was undergoing final touches prior to rollout and a scheduled flight for STS-49.
T10=STS-57 Earth observation taken aboard Endeavour is of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The Florida mainland is connected to the narrow barrier island by many causeways and bridges. The ocean front communities of Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Melbourne Beach extend southward from KSC. July 1, 1993.
T11=The Space Shuttle Discovery nears the completion of the STS-51 ten-day mission. This was the first night landing for the Shuttle program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), 3:56am, September 23, 1993.
T12=The launch of Space Shuttle Discovery for mission STS-70, July 13, 1995. The objective of this flight was to deploy a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS). The TDRS communications network is essential for linking Earth-orbiting spacecraft such as the Shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope with the ground.
T13=STS-61 EVA with an Astronaut anchored on the end of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm, prepares to be elevated to the top of the towering Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to install protective covers on magnetometers. The final servicing tasks for the HST wrapped up five days of space walks. December 9, 1993.
T14=STS-59 Endeavour's aft cargo bay with a greenish appearing aurora in the background. The crew of STS-59 sighted the southern lights (Aurora Australis) several times during each of the eleven days of the mission.
T15=This close-up image of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-63) was taken as it began its race to catch up with Russia's Mir Space Station. Liftoff from KSC Launch Pad 39B occurred at 12:22 on February 3, 1995. Discovery is first Space Shuttle to make 20 launches.
T16=Russia's Mir Space Station during rendezvous operations with the Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-63. The darkness of space and the heavily cloud-covered horizon of Earth form a backdrop for the scene. Docked at the bottom of the Mir facility is a Soyuz vehicle. On the opposite end is a Progress spacecraft.
T17=A Cosmonaut looks out Mir's window during rendezvous operations with the Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-63, February 6, 1995.
T18=The 100th U.S. human space launch is underway with an on-time liftoff at 3:32pm on June 27, 1995, from Launch Pad 39A. The flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-71) marked the first docking between the U.S. Shuttle and the Russian Space Station Mir.
T19=The Space Shuttle Atlantis, with its cargo bay doors open and docking mechanism visible, as viewed from the Russian Mir Space Station.
T20=Atlantis' forward section as viewed from a window aboard the Mir Space Station. Shuttle mission STS-81, January 1997.
