On April 12, 2011, NASA will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. Here's a look at some of the most striking images of NASA's iconic orbiters.

The space shuttle Discovery performs a 360-degree flip in 2009 in a handout image from NASA taken by the International Space Station's crew. Discovery operated from 1984 to 2011. NASA/Getty Images ...

NASA’s first space shuttle was meant to be named Constitution – a nod to the United States Bicentennial that year. But a write-in campaign by “Star Trek” fans prompted President Gerald ...

A decade ago, NASA's space shuttle took its last flight, but the Shuttle's controversies stretches far beyond that. By Alex Roland and Ken Bowersox Published: Jul 08, 2021 9:00 AM EDT.

A graphical representation of NASA’s space shuttle – including orbiter structure, launch preparation and reentry, and the space shuttle fleet – at SPACE.com ...

In all, NASA operated five shuttles in space. Shuttle Challenger and its crew were lost in a launch accident Jan. 28, 1986. Columbia and its crew were lost during return from orbit Feb. 1, 2003 ...

The space shuttle program would go on to become one of NASA’s most celebrated. After 135 missions carrying more than 350 astronauts into orbit, the shuttles were retired in 2011 .

The Boeing 747s used to carry NASA's Space Shuttle were known as "Shuttle Carrier" aircraft. The aircraft were used between 1977 and 2012, according to the National Air and Space Museum.

This Powerful NASA Space Shuttle Logged 148,221,675 Miles Around the Planet. MPI / Archive Photos via Getty Images. Drew Wood. Published: August 20, 2024 11:30 am.

These are the voyages of the space shuttle Enterprise, boldly renamed by former President Gerald Ford after a massive letter-writing campaign from Star Trek fans.. In 1974, construction of the ...