Milestones in 30-year shuttle program

Some of the milestones of the shuttle era:

1981: Columbia makes first shuttle flight for two days.

1982: Shuttle declared operational, no longer experimental.

1983: Challenger's first flight with first shuttle spacewalk; America's first woman in space, Sally Ride; America's first black astronaut in space, Guion Bluford.

1984: Discovery's first flight, first untethered spacewalk by Bruce McCandless, the so-called "human satellite."

1985: Atlantis' first flight; first congressman in space, Sen. Jake Garn of Utah.

1986: Challenger destroyed after lift-off, seven killed including teacher Christa McAuliffe; shuttles grounded during investigation.

1988: Shuttle flights resume with Discovery.

1989: Launch of Jupiter probe Gallileo.

1990: Launch of Hubble Space Telescope.

1992: First flight of Endeavour, replacement for Challenger.

1993: Hubble repaired by spacewalkers.

1994: First Russian cosmonaut on shuttle.

1995: First female pilot, Eileen Collins; first docking with Russia's Mir space station.

1998: Mercury astronaut John Glenn returns to orbit at 77; first U.S. piece of International Space Station launched.

1999: First female commander, Eileen Collins.

2003: Columbia destroyed during re-entry, seven killed; shuttles grounded during investigation.

2005: Shuttle flights resume with Discovery.

2007: First teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan.

2011: Last flights of Discovery, Endeavour, and soon, Atlantis.

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