Những khoảnh khắc đáng nhớ trong chương trình tàu con thoi Mỹ

U.S. space shuttle program has gone through several stages of high flying and decline in 30 years with the achievements and tragedy intertwined. >>> Những thảm họa trong không gian This program was born in 1972 with the launch decision of President Richard Nixon. A prototype ship called Enterprise was built for test flights, but the ship never flew into space. Columbia became the first shuttle was launched into orbit on 12.04.1981 with two astronauts. U.S. President Richard Nixon (right) holding the shuttle model during a meeting with NASA director James C Fletcher in 1972 - Picture: Reuters After five years of operation, which mainly focused on the launch satellites and carry out experiments in space, disaster struck with only the ship Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff on 28/01/1986 . The explosion is a wealth of Americans witnessed live on television, including millions of students who turned the television to monitor the ship to sight the teacher Christa McAuliffe, 37, flew into space. Under the plan, McAuliffe will be the first to lecture from space. McAuliffe with six other crew members had perished and the shuttle program on hold for nearly three years. Originally banks of the accident involved a broken ring in a rocket. The shuttle was launched back in May of 9.1988 with a flight aboard Discovery. The same ship in 1990 brought Hubble telescope into space, creating a revolution in the understanding of people about astronomy. The shuttle Challenger during the fateful release date 28.01.1986 - Picture: AFP Current Director of the Office of Aeronautics and Space USA (NASA) Charles Bolden, who controls the ship Discovery mission to install the Hubble Space Telescope.In 1993, the ship Endeavour to 7 member crew assigned mission to fix a glitch in the mirror of the telescope and early in 1994, the first sharp images from Hubble are published.There are four mission telescope maintenance is done in the flight after that and last voyage took place in 2009.In 1992, U.S. President George Bush (father) and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the cooperation agreement on the Russian - American in space for astronauts to fly on Russian spacecraft and other non-American American administration can work at the Russian Space Station Mir.Mir, a laboratory in orbit, operating from 1986 to 2001, is the largest space station in the world until it was replaced by the International Space Station (ISS).Flights of Discovery in May 2.1995 marks Russia cooperation mission - the first American. The ship was carrying a Russian astronaut and make a flight around the Mir station to prepare for the mission of the Atlantis connection four months later.Atlantis carrying five Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts in a trip to the Mir station in June last month to 7.1995. A total of nine flights of the shuttle has made connections with the laboratory of the Russian universe, carrying supplies and equipment goods.The most important mission of the shuttle to the ISS to start construction in 1998.The first parts of the ISS - Russian module Zarya was posted on May 11.1998. A month later, the shuttle Endeavour is launched carrying the Unity module to the Zarya assembly, marking the beginning of the process of building lasting more than a decade.25 shuttle flights have helped to assemble the human outpost in space, a project gathers 16 countries - including Russia, Canada, Japan, European countries, America - and cost more than $ 100 billion to build. A memorial service seven crew members on board Columbia in 2003 - Photo: AFP Nearly two decades after the Challenger crash, when the shuttle's flight seemed normal again, a new tragedy stunned America when Columbia broke apart just before landing in 2003. Seven astronauts aboard were killed when it burst on back atmosphere. The cause was attributed to damage from a piece of ceramic in the fuel tank and hitting the capital turned out the ship's wing during takeoff. Again, the shuttle program is on hold for more than two years after NASA made ​​drastic changes aimed at improving work practices and safety in the organization. Discovery of flight back to 7.2005 in May and since then teams of three remaining ships - Endeavour, Discovery and Atlantis - continue flying the space station. According to NASA, more than 350 people from 16 countries have flown on the shuttle in 30 years. Discovery becomes the first ship "retire" after the flight to the ISS in February this year. Endeavour's last flight into in May, and Atlantis is expected to take off after the last time on 07/08.

Theo TNO (AFP)