From the 1950's to the 1970's, the United States and the Soviet Union were both engaged in a heated space race. With the rapid progress of space technologies, there came a sharp increase in the number of spacecraft launched. Problems began to emerge, single-use disposable rockets simply cost too much as routine launch vehicles, so re-useable craft like the space shuttle were developed. Let's take a closer look at the development of the space shuttle.
After a decade of hard work, the world's first space shuttle, Columbia, embarked on its maiden voyage on April 12th, 1981, exactly 20 years after Yuri Gagarin made the first manned space flight. After staying in space for 54 and a half hours and orbiting the earth 36 times, Columbia landed at the Edwards Air Force Center, safe and sound, heralding a new era in manned space flight.
To date, the world has seen six space shuttles, five of which were built in the United States. So far US space shuttles has completed 113 missions, during which two shuttles were lost. The Soviet Union only launched one space shuttle, the Buran, which fell into disuse after only one unmanned flight. Currently, the United States is the only country that has applied space shuttles to practical use and achieved fruitful results.
The United States has invested tens of billions of dollars in the construction of space shuttles. The space shuttle is an innovative combination of aviation and astronautical technologies. With such advantages, it can accomplish a wide variety of missions and has served the functions of carrier rockets, man-made earth satellites, and minor space stations.
In designing the space shuttle, which features a vertical launch and a horizontal landing, the United States had another purpose: to halve the gravitational pressures on astronauts during flight. The goal was to make space flight more accessible to a greater number of potential astronauts.
With space shuttles, human activities in space have become nearly as safe and reliable as aviation flights. Space science has moved from the stage of "high-risk adventure" to the stage of applied use. The overall success of the US space shuttles was seen as the second landmark of the space age after the Apollo Program.
Unfortunately, the development of space shuttles has not happened smoothly. On January 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger was lost in an explosion shortly after liftoff, along with the seven astronauts on board. The whole world was shocked by the greatest tragedy in the history of human space flight.
Following the accident, the United States upgraded its three remaining space shuttles. In spite of many technical and operational upgrades, another devastating space shuttle accident occurred. On February 1st, 2003, space shuttle, Columbia, exploded 16 minutes before touchdown, killing all seven astronauts onboard. The accident was apparently caused by a lump of foam that hit the shuttle's wing on take-off, rupturing its insulation tiles. When the craft re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, the damage to the wing allowed heat to enter the craft and it exploded as a result. After the tragedy the United States suspended all space shuttle missions until after August 2004.
Nevertheless, with its unique multiple functions, repetitive use and accessible working environment, the space shuttle blazed a new trail for human space exploration. But all of these accomplishments have come after solving a host of complex technical problems.
After the Challenger accident of 1986, the United States stopped the practice of launching commercial satellites using space shuttles and also stopped using space shuttles for its own satellite requirements. The space shuttle has become a large-scale, multi-function space transportation vehicle but at a staggering cost. Mankind has yet to find a space vehicle that is both reliable and economical.
Despite its many weak points, the first-generation space shuttle made by the United States will remain in service, because no existing spacecraft can surpass its range of functions. America's first-generation shuttle laid the foundation for future space vehicle development earning it a remarkable place in the history of 20th century space science. The development of a second-generation space shuttle is currently underway in the US, with the goal of fixing the shortcomings of the existing shuttle fleet.
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