Browse Archive
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Drag Chute Reduced Shuttles' Brake and Tire Wear
Successful deployment and landing tests on NASA's NB-52B validated engineers' predictions, led to addition of the braking chute to the shuttle fleet.
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Flight Tests on CV-990 Solved Shuttle Tire Failure
Real-world tests of shuttle tires on modified jetliner pinpointed the rough surface of the Kennedy runway as the culprit in STS-23 tire explosion.
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Dryden F-104 Flight-Tested Shuttle TPS Materials
Early in the space shuttle program, NASA Dryden F-104 jets were used to flight-test various advanced shuttle Thermal Protection System materials.
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F-8 DFBW Helped Solve Shuttle Oscillation Problem
NASA's F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire research aircraft provided flight-test data to resolve the space shuttle's pilot-induced oscillation problem.
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Landing Convoy Ready on the Runway
About 25 unique vehicles and their operators wait at the runway on landing day to assist a space shuttle and its astronauts after touchdown.
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Flying the STA: Landing Like the Shuttle
What it is like to dive at the runway from 28,000 feet on an approach just like the one the shuttle uses at landing.
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Payload Changeout Room Supports Last Shuttle Cargo
After 29 years of supporting space shuttle missions, the payload changeout room hosts its last shuttle cargo.
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Soaring Innovation: the Shuttle and Glenn
NASA's Glenn Research Center made many contributions to the Space Shuttle Program, helping the shuttle stretch the boundaries of what humanity could accomplish in space.
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NASA Depends on Freedom and Liberty
Two booster recovery ships stand ready on shuttle launch day.
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MILA Tracks its Last Launch and Landing
Tracking station ends its mission with the final shuttle flight.
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Approach & Landing Tests Verified Shuttle Systems
The Approach and Landing Tests in 1977 evaluated the shuttle orbiter’s aerodynamic flight control systems and subsonic handling characteristics.
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Orbiter Processing Facilities: High-Tech Shuttle Garages
Highly skilled technicians ready shuttles for flight in processing bays at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida
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X-24B Precision Landings Proved That Shuttle Could Land Unpowered
Precision landings by the X-24B lifting body in 1975 led to the decision to not include jet engines on the space shuttles to aid landing approaches.
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The 'Eyes, Ears and Hands' of the Shuttle Test Team
A small group of specially certified aerospace technicians called spacecraft operators help ensure the shuttle is ready to fly.
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Astronauts Learn Ropes Strapping in Crews
Astronauts flying on the shuttle depend on other astronauts to strap them in for launch.
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Catching a Ride to Destiny
The Astrovan carried shuttle crews, history and tradition.
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All Eyes on the Shuttle
Using multiple sources, teams keep a close watch on each space shuttle launch.
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Shuttle Liftoffs Require Precision Launch Pad
The launch pad is equipped with all the elements needed to safely send a space shuttle into orbit.
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T-38s Soar as Spaceflight Trainers
NASA's T-38s would not be mistaken for a space shuttle, but they are necessary tools for astronaut training.
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Firing Rooms Keep Launch Team Well-Connected
Launching a space shuttle requires a unique nerve center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.