The Space Shuttle returned from orbit at around Mach 30, entering the atmosphere fast enough to tear air molecules apart and ...

The two solid rocket boosters flew in different directions as the external fuel tank became a fireball.(AP: Bruce Weaver / File) Forty years ago, the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated just after ...

The view of shuttle Discovery's payload bay from inside the orbiter, with the iconic American flag at the rear. The huge cargo area is 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide and 60 feet (18 m) long. When Discovery ...

T minus 10 - the acoustic shock absorption system starts - a huge fountain of water cascades from underneath the launch pad. Its role is to absorb the sound waves that come from the exhaust of the ...

A view from above of Atlantis' 60-foot-long payload bay. Atlantis' aft section as viewed from the side. The reflective insulation would normally be covered by one of the shuttle's two orbital ...

"On a cold January morning in 1986, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Challenger, despite warnings against doing so by many individuals, including Allan McDonald. The fiery destruction of Challenger on ...

NASA Astronaut John Fabian at Kennedy Space Center previewing the last Shuttle mission. July 2011. BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – ...