General Knowledge: Where is the Space Shuttle that the United States used to send people into space now after retiring in 2011?
(World): "Space Shuttle" is a reusable spacecraft from the US space agency NASA (NASA) to transport astronauts into space, but the space program has been shut down. In 2011. However, they were not dismantled or destroyed.
Under the Space Shuttle program, NASA has a total of six spacecraft. The retired Space Shuttle has been under public display since 2013. Four space shuttles are currently on display at the US Science Museum, including:
Space Shuttle named "Enterprise". The Space Shuttle is a prototype that has never been in space, but is used for hover and landing tests. The first flight of the spacecraft took place on August 12, 1977 and the last on April 27, 2012. It is currently housed in the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, New York.
Space Shuttle named "Discovery". The Space Shuttle is currently housed at the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. The first flight of the Discovery took place on August 30, 1984 and the last on February 24, 2011.
Space Shuttle named "Atlantis". The Space Shuttle is currently housed in the Kennedy Space Center Museum in Florida. The first flight of this spacecraft took place on October 3, 1985 and the last flight was on July 8, 2011.
Space Shuttle named "Endeavor". The Space Shuttle is currently on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. The first Endeavor flight took place on May 7, 1992 and the last on May 16, 2011.
What about the other two Space Shuttles? Two other space shuttles, the Challenger and the Columbia, exploded during a mission, killing a total of 14 astronauts. The Challenger exploded while launching from Earth on January 28, 1986, while the Columbia exploded while returning to Earth on February 1, 2003.
Since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, NASA has relied heavily on Russian rockets and spacecraft to send its astronauts into space, but NASA is now launching a team of astronauts. It will be launched into space using rockets and spacecraft directly from the United States, through collaborations with private US space companies such as SpaceX.
