© Mark Ollig
On Nov. 28, 1968, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper led with the headline: ‘NASA Engineers Study Space Shuttle Plans.’
“The next major thrust in space may be the development of an economical launch vehicle for shuttling between Earth and installations such as space stations in orbit,” the article began.
NASA aimed to develop a reusable spacecraft that could cost-effectively carry up to eight astronauts to and from Earth orbit.
President Richard Nixon approved the space shuttle program in January 1972.
Between 1972 and 1976, the space shuttle design underwent extensive modification and testing of its heat-resistant tile system, reusable rocket boosters, and a complex computer guidance system for navigation and control.
In 1976, hundreds of thousands of letters from “Star Trek” fans (including me) were sent to then President Gerald Ford, asking him to name the prototype space shuttle “Enterprise,” in a grassroots effort to pay homage to the iconic spaceship from the television series.
It appeared President Ford shared our enthusiasm for the name.
On Sept. 8, 1976, at the White House, President Ford recommended the shuttle be named Enterprise during a meeting with NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher, saying, “It is a distinguished name in American naval history, with a long tradition of courage and endurance.”
Ford went on, “It is also a name familiar to millions of faithful followers of the science fiction television program Star Trek. To explore the frontiers of space, there is no better ship than the space shuttle, and no better name for that ship than the Enterprise.”
NASA had initially chosen the name Constitution for the prototype shuttle.
The new Enterprise shuttle orbiter was exhibited during a public ceremony Sept. 17, 1976, at its manufacturing plant in Palmdale, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles.
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, along with most of the television series’ original cast members, attended the ceremony.
On Aug. 12, 1977, the space shuttle Enterprise, attached atop a modified Boeing 747, took off from California’s Edwards Air Force Base.
While traveling 322 mph at an altitude of 26,400 feet, explosive bolts severed the three mounting struts attaching Enterprise to the 747, releasing the shuttle.
Upon separation, the two onboard shuttle astronauts, Fred Haise and Gordon Fullerton, piloted the Enterprise like a glider.
The flight lasted five minutes and twenty-one seconds, ending with a safe landing on the seven-mile-long dry lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base as 40,000 people looked on.
While not designed for spaceflight, Enterprise was crucial in validating the shuttle’s aerodynamics and landing capabilities.
It was equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and control systems for this testing.
I can still vividly recall watching the live broadcast of the Enterprise’s test flight.
On April 12, 1981, the first orbital test flight of the space shuttle Columbia, designated Space Transportation System One (STS-1), launched from Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen crewed this historic first flight.
At T-minus four seconds, Columbia’s three main engines ignited, and with a final computer check, the two solid rocket boosters roared to life.
“Liftoff! Liftoff of America’s first space shuttle . . . and the shuttle has cleared the tower.” said NASA’s Hugh Harris, providing launch commentary.
The space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters and main engines combined to generate more than 6.8 million pounds of thrust.
This immense power lifted the 4.5-million-pound launch weight, which was comprised of the external tank, solid rocket boosters, and the orbiter itself, which weighed nearly 109.7 tons.
The solid rocket boosters (SRBs) on either side of the space shuttle’s external fuel tank were the primary source of this thrust. Together, the two SRBs generated a combined 5.6 million pounds of thrust.
Additionally, Columbia’s three main liquid-fuel cryogenic RS-25 rocket engines, which burned liquid hydrogen and oxygen, produced around 1.2 million pounds of thrust.
Approximately 8.5 minutes after launch, Columbia achieved Earth orbit.
The astronauts tested onboard systems, including opening and closing the shuttle payload bay doors.
During their 37 orbits around the Earth, they operated the shuttle’s payload bay Canadarm, a Canadian-built robotic arm used to maneuver objects in space.
The space shuttle’s thermal protection system consisted of approximately 25,000 high-temperature reusable surface insulation silica ceramic fiber tiles, protecting it from temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit during re-entry.
Honeywell Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, was responsible for developing flight controls, computer systems, and other technologies used in the space shuttle.
On April 14, 1981, Columbia returned to Earth, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California after completing their 54-and-a-half-hour mission.
After the Challenger disaster in 1986, NASA considered using the Enterprise as a replacement.
However, due to cost, time, and design improvements, they instead chose to build a new space shuttle named Endeavour.
The Atlantis orbiter completed the final mission of the space shuttle program, STS-135, when it was launched July 8, 2011, and landed July 21.
NASA’s Enterprise shuttle test flight can be seen at: tinyurl.com/Enterprise1977.
Today, the Enterprise is on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City: tinyurl.com/1977Enterprise.
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| My space shuttle I put together and painted Aug. 15, 1982. |
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| My space shuttle Atlantis (orbiter vehicle designation: OV‑104) with a swatch of its space-flown cargo bay liner. |