.
SouthAmerica: As of July 26, 2005 there were only three shuttles remaining in the American Shuttle fleet â Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.
American Shuttles:
Columbia
Challenger
Discovery
Enterprise
Pathfinder
Atlantis
Endeavour
****
Challenger:
Challenger was the second shuttle orbiter to be placed into service (after Columbia) and was constructed using a body frame (STA-099) that had initially been produced for use as a test article. Its maiden voyage was on April 4, 1983, and made eight subsequent round trips to low earth orbit before it was destroyed during the launch of its tenth mission, mission 51-L, on January 28, 1986. It is one of two space shuttles destroyed in an accident during a mission, the other being Columbia.
Flights
Space Shuttle Challenger flew 10 flights, spent 62.41 days in space, completed 995 orbits, and flew 25,803,940 miles (41,527,416 km) in total, including its final mission.
Final mission
On January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger destroyed during launch and all seven astronauts on board killed.
****
Columbia:
Construction began on Columbia in 1975 primarily in Palmdale, California.
After construction, the orbiter arrived at John F. Kennedy Space Center on March 25, 1979 to prepare for its first launch. However, before its first mission, two workers were killed and four injured during a ground test of the orbiter on March 19, 1981.
Flights
Space Shuttle Columbia flew 28 flights, spent 300.74-days in space, completed 4,808 orbits, and flew 125,204,911 miles in total, including its final mission.
Final mission
On the morning of February 1, 2003, the shuttle re-entered the atmosphere after a 16-day scientific mission. NASA lost radio contact at about 9 a.m. EST, only minutes before the expected 09:16 landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Video recordings show the craft breaking up in flames over Texas, at an altitude of approximately 39 miles (63 km) and a speed of 12,500 mph (5.6 km/s).
*****
Enterprise:
The Space Shuttle Enterprise (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was the first shuttle built for NASA. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield and was therefore not capable of space operations without a refit. It was intended to be the second space shuttle to fly after the Space Shuttle Columbia even though Enterprise was built first; however, it was found to be cheaper to refit a test article (STA-099) into the Space Shuttle Challenger. Similarly, it was considered for refit to replace Challenger, but Space Shuttle Endeavour was built from spares instead.
Enterprise was used by NASA for a variety of ground and flight tests intended to validate aspects of the shuttle program. The initial nine-month testing period was referred to by the acronym ALT for "Approach and Landing Test". These tests included a maiden "flight" on February 18, 1977 atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) to measure structural loads and ground handling and braking characteristics of the mated system.
****
Pathfinder:
The Space Shuttle Orbiter Pathfinder (unofficial Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-098) is a 75-ton Space Shuttle mock-up made of steel. It was initially built and used by NASA to practice handling and moving of actual Space Shuttles (as made possible by the mock-up's similarity in size, weight and shape). This allowed facilities to be tested without requiring the use of Enterprise.
Later, a Japanese organization funded the refurbishment of the steel mock-up to more closely resemble an actual Space Shuttle and named it Pathfinder, for purposes of showing it in a Tokyo, Japan space exhibition. Pathfinder has since been returned to the U.S. and is presently on display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
****
Endeavour:
Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is the fifth operational NASA space shuttle to be built, and the most recent.
The United States Congress authorized the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace Challenger, which was lost in an accident in 1986. Structural spares from the construction of shuttles Discovery and Atlantis were used in its assembly. The decision to build Endeavour was favored over refitting Enterprise because it was cheaper.
Endeavour was first launched in 1992 and on its first mission captured and redeployed the stranded INTELSAT VI communications satellite.
****
Atlantis:
Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104) is one of five NASA space shuttles. It was the fourth operational shuttle built and as of 2005 is one of only three shuttles remaining in the fleet.
As the fourth shuttle, Atlantis benefited from experience gained in the construction of its predecessors. On roll-out it weighed nearly 7,000 lb (3 t) less than the first operational shuttle, Columbia, and required about half the time to build. Structural spare parts also built along with Atlantis were used in the later construction of the fifth shuttle, Endeavour.
Atlantis made its first flight in October 1985, conducting classified military activities, one of five such flights.
****
Discovery:
Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is a NASA Space Shuttle.
First flown on August 30, 1984, Discovery is the third operational shuttle (excluding test shuttle Enterprise), and the oldest remaining in service. The orbiter is still operational today, and has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions.
Flights
Space Shuttle Discovery flew 31 flights.
Final mission
After 21 years of service, on July 26, 2005 Space Shuttle Discovery was launched for its final flight - this story still in progress as of today.
Tomorrow morning NASA will try to bring the Discovery home in one piece â¦â¦â¦
Discovery was set for retirement only in 2010 - before this last flight.
.