The impact and limitations of America's space shuttle program
Erik Gregersen, astronomy and space exploration editor of Encyclopædia Britannica, discussing the successes and failures of the U.S. space shuttle program.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
-
© MinuteEarth (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Trees have to cope with extreme temperatures, water availability, and other seasonal changes.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Love can be a dangerous game.
-
© China News Service/ReutersAfter surveying only a tiny fraction of a deep-sea trench at the bottom of the Diamantina Fracture Zone, a Chinese-led team of researchers counted the remains of 476 individual whales spanning a variety of species.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Erik Gregersen, astronomy and space exploration editor of Encyclopædia Britannica, picking his top five milestones in space exploration.
-
NASAThis animation shows the paths of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, which were designed to explore the outer planets of the solar system. The twin probes, each carrying 10 instruments, provided a wealth of new information about interplanetary space and the four giant gas planets and their moons. The Voyagers were launched in late 1977. In 1979 they reached Jupiter. Passing through the planet's gravitational field, they gathered enough energy to “slingshot” around the planet and head for Saturn. Voyager 1 reached Saturn in November 1980 and then headed out of the solar system. Voyager 2 continued on to Uranus, reaching the planet in January 1986. Changing course again and heading for Neptune, the spacecraft arrived at the outermost gas giant in August 1989. It then continued out of the solar system. In the first years of the 21st century, each craft was still sending back information about the outer reaches of the solar system and had traveled well beyond the orbit of Pluto.
-
© Civil War Trust (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Learn how George Washington and other commanders oversaw the regrouping and retraining of the Continental Army while wintering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in 1777–78 during the American Revolution.
-
NASAPerhaps the most famous of all space films, these clips document the arrival of the first human beings on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
Transcript
[Introduction]
"T" minus 10 9 8 7 6 5 4, we've gone for main engine start. We have main engine start. And we have lift off, lift off of America's first space shuttle.
[End introduction]
The space shuttle program was originally conceived in the early '70s as something as what America would do after the landings of--of people on the Moon. The space shuttle did many great things. It proved that spacecraft could be usable. It proved that astronauts could repair satellites in space. However, it did fail to do what it was originally designed to do, which was to make space routine. People would be going into space every two or three weeks. You know, just like you--you go on a plane trip across the country. It never lived up to that billing, and space travel is no cheaper than it was in--in 1981, when they started, when the first--first space shuttle launched.
"T" minus 10 9 8 7 6 5 4, we've gone for main engine start. We have main engine start. And we have lift off, lift off of America's first space shuttle.
[End introduction]
The space shuttle program was originally conceived in the early '70s as something as what America would do after the landings of--of people on the Moon. The space shuttle did many great things. It proved that spacecraft could be usable. It proved that astronauts could repair satellites in space. However, it did fail to do what it was originally designed to do, which was to make space routine. People would be going into space every two or three weeks. You know, just like you--you go on a plane trip across the country. It never lived up to that billing, and space travel is no cheaper than it was in--in 1981, when they started, when the first--first space shuttle launched.