7 photos show the iconic moment of NASA space shuttle, which is ten years since the last flight

On July 21, 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis landed for the last time in NASAKennedy Space Center, this marked the last time the space shuttle landed again.

The space shuttle program uses five independent spacecraft throughout its life cycle, which is the first reusable spacecraft for mankind. They launch like a rocket, but land like a gliding plane.

The last flight of the program ended a record-breaking aerospace achievement in three decades. Its milestones are countless, and it launched into space technologies that were at the forefront of the time and still serve the scientific community today.

Below are some photos, recording the project from the earliest mission to the final major achievements.

STS-1: First launch

The space shuttle Columbia shown in the picture above is the first mission of the space shuttle program. There were astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen on board.

The spacecraft was the first of its kind at the time. The mission code STS-1 stands for Space Transportation System 1, and each subsequent mission is named STS-2, STS-3, and so on.

STS-7 and STS-8: The first American woman and the first African American in space

The first of these photos shows Sally Ride, The first American woman to enter space, Boarded the Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-7 in 1983. In the picture above, she is sitting in the seat of a mission expert preparing to derail.

This photo The picture below shows Guion “Guy” Bluford, who became the first African-American astronaut to fly in space on the Challenger during STS-8. He used one of the space shuttle’s treadmills to shoot during the flight.

STS-31: Hubble launches into space

In April 1990, the space shuttle Discovery launched the iconic Hubble Space Telescope into orbit around the earth.

telescope, Still in use today, As shown in the picture above, was still connected to Discovery in space during STS-31. This photo was taken with a handheld Hasselblad camera.

STS-88: The International Space Station gets its first American compartment

In 1998, the space shuttle Endeavour launched the first American module to the United States. International Space Station (ISS) As part of STS-88.

The picture above shows astronauts Jerry Ross and James Newman in the last spacewalk of the mission, they connected Unity to the Russian Zarya module already in orbit.

STS-116: Challenging mission to give permanent power to the International Space Station

NASA called STS-116 one of the most challenging missions in the space shuttle program.

The space shuttle Discovery was launched in December 2006, and the crew entered orbit to reconnect to the power system of the International Space Station and continue its construction.

At some point, some solar panels on the International Space Station refused to retract into their storage boxes, which had to be corrected by troubleshooting on the ground.

The photo above shows the first of many spacewalks conducted by astronauts Robert Kobim and Christe Fugesang during the mission.

STS-135: The final mission

STS-135 is the last mission of the space shuttle program. It witnessed the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on July 8, 2011 and landing on July 21.

In the photo above, NASA astronaut Mike Fossum, who was already on the International Space Station at STS-135, is depicted as pointing at the camera during a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, dedicated to the International Space Station Maintenance and construction.