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The
story so far... |
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1981 |
Columbia
launches, the first ever shuttle mission. |
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1983-1985 |
Challenger,
Discovery and Atlantis make their first flights, joining the shuttle
fleet. |
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1986 |
Challenger
breaks apart shortly after launch, the first shuttle disaster. |
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1992 |
Endeavour,
built to replace the Challenger, launches. |
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2003 |
Columbia breaks
apart as it re-enters the atmosphere, owing to a tear in its heat
shielding caused by a piece of falling debris during launch. The
shuttle programme is grounded for extensive repairs. |
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Return to
flight, 2005 |
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7 April |
After two years of repairs, Discovery
rolls out onto the launch pad in anticipation of a May launch. But
ice builds up on the fuel tank during filling, forcing NASA to roll
the shuttle back and put heaters on the tank. |
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15 June |
Discovery rolls back out onto
the launch pad. |
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28 June |
A taskforce reports that NASA
has managed to meet 12 of 15 safety goals.
Shuttle
safety recommendations |
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30 June |
NASA decides that’s good
enough — the shuttle programme is back on. |
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13 July |
Discovery is set to launch. But,
hours before lift-off, a glitch with a fuel gauge causes a delay.
There are worries the shuttle might miss its launch window.
NASA's
Discovery shuttle grounded |
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26 July |
Discovery lifts off, in what
appears to be a perfect launch.
Shuttle
launch succeeds
But video footage reveals that some debris did fall off the shuttle,
though it isn’t clear if this caused any damage. |
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27 July |
The shuttle arrives at the International
Space Station. Astronauts spend hours inspecting their craft for damage.
Videos show that a large chunk of foam came off the fuel tank during
launch. The craft also lost a smaller piece of tile, suffered a handful
of other small dents and dings, and hit a large bird on lift-off.
None of this is unprecedented, but the foam issue is worrying. It
appears to have caused no damage this time, but NASA grounds the rest
of the fleet until further notice.
Foam
chunks burst NASA bubble |
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28-29 July |
Astronauts continue unloading
the shuttle and carrying out scheduled repairs of the International
Space Station. |
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30 July |
Discovery’s heat protective
tiles are pronounced fit for return to Earth.
The mission is extended by one day to allow for transfer of more water
and supplies onto the station, for the benefit of the astronauts who
are staying on board.
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1 Aug |
NASA decides to attempt an unprecedented
repair on the shuttle. Two pieces of ceramic fibre meant to fill the
gaps between heat-shielding tiles have somehow poked their way out
through the belly of the craft. Astronauts will try to pull them out
or cut them off to ensure they don’t heat up on re-entry. |
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3 Aug |
Astronauts pull two bits of
ceramic fibre out of Discovery with ease, in just a few seconds. It
is the first repair job ever done to a shuttle while it is in orbit.
Spacewalk fixes shuttle problem |
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4 Aug |
NASA officials decide that a
tear in Discovery's thermal blanket - part of the protective shielding
around the cockpit - is unlikely to cause problems on re-entry. There
had been concerns that the fabric might rip, releasing a chunk that
could hit the craft. The shuttle is thought to be safe for its scheduled
return to Earth on 8 August.
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6 Aug |
Discovery undocks from the International
Space Station. |
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8 Aug |
The shuttle is due to come home.
But low clouds at the Kennedy Space Centre landing site cause mission
managers to delay the landing. They will try again tomorrow, 9 August. |
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9 Aug |
In the face of continuing bad
weather, NASA decides to land the shuttle in California instead of
Florida. Discovery touches down safely, ending the "return to flight"
mission. |
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Return to
flight, 2006 |
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1 June |
The foam on Discovery is deemed
'safe enough' for launch. Space
shuttle set for July launch |
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16-17 June |
Two mission managers (a top safety
official and chief engineer) give the shuttle launch a 'no go' vote
because of worries over the insulating foam. NASA administrator Michael
Griffin overrules them, saying that, even if foam struck the shuttle,
it would be possible to shelter the mission astronauts on the International
Space Station until a rescue could be planned.
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4 July |
After 2 days' delay due to bad
weather, Discovery launches again, for the second and final test mission
of the 'return to flight' schedule. |
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9 Sept |
The space shuttle Atlantis launches,
after more than a week of delays (see launch
blog). |
