Challenger’s resting place
On January 28, 1986, at 11:30, A.M. just one minute after lift off, the Space Shuttle Challenger and its crew were destroyed in an explosion. After pieces of the Challenger were examined, they were lowered into their permanent storage area in the Minuteman missile silo at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
Space Clipper, Pegasus, Starlighter,Space ShuttleForty years ago today, President Richard Nixon announced the creation of the Space Shuttle program. It was January 5, 1972 in San Clemente, California. Standing with NASA Administrator James E. Fletcher, the President signed an Executive Act and said, “This system will center on a space vehicle that can shuttle repeatedly from Earth to orbit and back.”
“Space Shuttle.” It’s hard to imagine a different name, right? Not so for Peter Flanigan, Assistant to President Nixon. Just one day before the President publicly announced NASA’s latest and greatest, there was still debate over the official name for the program. This White House memo to the President makes a pretty good case that:
The term “shuttle” has a connotation of second class travel and lacks excitement…
Of course, Space Shuttle ultimately made the final cut, but it’s fun to think of the Pegasus program that almost was.
White House Memo; Peter Flanigan to President Nixon, January 4, 1972. Photo of President Nixon and NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher looking at a Space Shuttle model on the day of the program announcement, January 5, 1972. San Clemente, CA. ID #WHPO-8173-07.
(Applause to the Archivists at the Nixon Library for finding this “almost happened” memo!)
What’s your favorite alternative name for the Space Shuttle?
Flight Data Files of the first Space Shuttle Atlantis flight (STS-51-J)
via National Archives at Fort Worth on Facebook:
From the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis’s maiden voyage (STS-51-J) on October 3, 1985, are the original “as flown” procedural checklists for the entry procedure and original “as flown” star chart, used to identify and locate astronomical objects such as stars, constellations and galaxies.
Did you see Atlantis’s final launch this morning?
via ourpresidents:
The final Space Shuttle mission lifted off today, July 8th, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The thirty year era of the Space Shuttle fleet began on April 12, 1981 with the launch of Columbia during the Reagan Administration.
To set the marvel mode for the Space Shuttle fleet we’re sharing this video clip from 1981, Space Shuttle: Mission to the Future, created by the U.S. Information Agency via the National Archives.
And to celebrate the historic and ongoing vision of NASA, Our Presidents is counting down to our own launch of Moonshot Mondays. Each week we’ll be featuring space-related holdings from the Presidential Libraries. What better way to start a Monday than posts on presidents and space exploration?
Imagine President Clinton on the phone with astronauts aboard the Endeavor Space Shuttle. Now, read the transcript between the White House and space:
The Oval Office
12:45 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Can you hear me?
MISSION COMMANDER RONALD GRABE: Mr. President, I believe we hear you, but slightly broken up.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we can hear you, and we are looking at you. And you all look wonderful.
COMMANDER GRABE: Well, you’re loud and clear now, Mr. President. That’s much better.
THE PRESIDENT: We want to congratulate you on a spectacular launch and on looking so happy. The American people are very reassured watching you on television now.
COMMANDER GRABE: Well, thank you, sir. It’s early in the mission, but we’re very excited about the mission. It’s certainly a multifaceted one and it really does show the versatility of the space shuttle. We’re doing a little bit of everything on this flight.
THE PRESIDENT: I know. I understand one of the things you’re doing is chasing down the Eureca satellite that was put up by the shuttle last July. And I’m especially pleased about that because it shows what we can do in the way of international cooperation as well as science. And I want to congratulate you on that and wish you well.
ASTRONAUT VOSS: Thank you very much, Mr. President. We’ve been working very hard for about a year training for this rendezvous and retrieval. And we’re had a lot of fantastic support both in our own country and our own ground support team, and the international team all over in Europe and we’re looking forward to bringing back great science on Eureca to the Europeans.
THE PRESIDENT: We’re looking forward to that, too. I also understand that David and Jeff will be outside the shuttle practicing for the repair of the Hubbell Telescope and for the future assembly of the space station. And I thought that maybe one of them or both would like to comment on it so people can get a good look at you now, and when they see you outside in your suits they’ll know who they’re seeing.
ASTRONAUT WISOFF: Well, Mr. President, we’re looking very forward to the space walk. We feel proud to be able to represent America. And we’re very happy of your support of the space station. We think it represents the best of America and their pioneering spirit and the NASA team has done a really great job of preparing us for our flight. And I think that both Dave and I just can’t wait to get there.
-From June 22, 1993
Read the full phone conversation through the Clinton Presidential Library.
June 18 - Sally Ride “America’s first woman astronaut communicates with ground controllers from the flight deck during the six day mission of the Challenger. 06/18/1983 - 06/24/1983.”
