NASA Space Shuttle Models - A Tribute to the Space Program

by Claudia Meydrech - happynutritionist
Intro Image: Pixabay
New on Wizzley: May 2015 Updated 8/6/15

Picking up where I left off in the introduction to this page…I remember Dad watching closely during one Apollo mission, hoping that the mechanics of an arm which he had designed would reach down and retrieve samples from the Moon’s surface as it was supposed to…and his relief when it did. Family lore has it that all the names of those who took part in designing anything for a mission were sent with the ship to it’s destination, in this case the last stop was the moon, so supposedly his name is up there on what was an unmanned one-way Apollo Mission.

Dad was fascinated by the idea of man going into space before it actually happened. I was a child of the 1950′s – ’60′s, and I remember him taking us all outside onto the front lawn when Sputnik, the very first satellite capable of orbiting the earth, was sent into space by Russia. It passed over our home looking like a small, moving star. It was amazing to us all at the time, and it’s a very clear memory.

When President Kennedy declared that we were going to make walking on the moon a goal, it was a huge boost to business at his company, and it was exciting for him to be a part of something that interested him so much.

But our focus is on a more advanced time in our history, that of the NASA Space Shuttle Program, and Space Shuttle model kits.

The Space Shuttle given the name “Enterprise” was surely named after the popular space craft in Star Trek. Enterprise was the first space shuttle. This shuttle never left the earth’s atmosphere, but was used in test missions to develop the then-new space shuttle program.

On April 27, 2012, Space Shuttle Enterprise came to it’s new home in New York, and on June 6, 2012 it was moved to the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum which is a retired air craft carrier with an impressive history. The Enterprise was open to the public in July of 2012.

Intrepid on Facebook.

The second Space Shuttle given the name “Columbia” began the first real shuttle missions in April of 1981. After going on five missions, it was modified so that it could fly longer missions, up to 16 days.

Sadly, Columbia is one of two space shuttles that exploded in flight, in this case during re-entry into the earths atmosphere in February of 2003, leading to much speculation about damage to the heat shield by flying debris, and leading to more close watch in future launches for flying debris during takeoff. The crew members included Rick D. Husband, Commander; William C. McCool, Pilot; Michael P. Anderson, Payload Commander; David M. Brown, Mission Specialist; Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist; Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Mission Specialist; and Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist.

Space Shuttle “Challenger” started out as a test vehicle, and was later upgraded. Challenger became the second space shuttle to be used in shuttle missions.

The Challenger space shuttle also came to a tragic end, many of us watched live as it exploded very shortly after taking off from the Kennedy Space Center, and were heart broken at the sight. This happened before the Columbia disaster, in January of 1986. The 7 member crew included Commander Francis R. (Dick) Scobee; Michael J. Smith, Pilot; Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist; Ellison S. Onizuka, mission specialist; Gregory B. Jarvis, payload specialist; and Sharon Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was one of about 11,000 who applied for the opportunity.

Discovery made its first flight in August 1984, and returned from it’s last mission in March of this year (2011).

Space Shuttle Discovery made it’s final flight on April 17, 2012, piggy-back style on a Jumbo Jet from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to it’s final destination, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC where it is to be displayed in the annex.

The “Atlantis” space shuttle was launched into it’s first mission only a little over a year after the Discovery, in October of 1985.

Following is a video of the final launch in July of 2011.

The Space Shuttle “Endeavour” (proper spelling is Endeavour, not Endeavor) was the last shuttle built and retired after it’s last flight in May of 2011. Endeavour was built after the Challenger accident as a replacement, and was sent on it’s first mission in May of 1992….a mission in which it rescued a stranded communications satellite, the Intelsat 6.

The last mission of Endeavour gained more than usual media attention since the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Her husband, Mark Kelly, piloted the final Endeavor mission.

Follow it’s transport on video to LAX in California below.

The last Space Shuttle Endeavour mission was completed with Astronaut Mark E. Kelly in command, and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords was able to attend the launch. Since the following video was done, pictures of a very healthy looking Gabrielle Giffords have appeared in the news and at various events. Her recovery is nothing short of miraculous. Astronaut Mark Kelly retired in October of 2011 from NASA and the US Navy to spend time with his wife during her recovery from a gunshot wound to (through) the head in January of 2011. Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly have co-authored a book together, “Gabby, A Story of Courage and Hope”, you’ll find it below.

Though NASA is still busy and in operation, the idea of space travel being carried out by private enterprises is underway.

Though I miss the space program as it used to be, and have a lot of nostalgic feelings about it due to family involvement on a small but important level, I do understand the need for change, and hope that privately funded missions will be a great success.