Enterprise - The Prototype
The prototype shuttle was named after the Starship Enterprise in the popular TV series Star Trek. In 1977, two pilots made the first of four 7,000 metre glide tests. In 1979, the Enterprise was attached to a fuel tank and boosters in the Kennedy Space Center. But the shuttle never made it to lift-off, as work on the Columbia had already been completed and it made its virgin flight on 12th April 1981.

Columbia - The Oldest Shuttle
The Columbia, which weighed 158,289 pounds (71,799 kilos) and was improved and modified about 150 times, was overhauled between Autumn 1999 and Spring 2002, and re-launched on 1st March 2002. On 1st February 2003, it disintegrated during a descent over Texas. It exploded at a height of 62,000 metres. NASA believes a launch-damaged wing caused Columbia to break up. As it plunged into the Earth's atmosphere, super-heated gasses entered a hole punched in the wing by a large piece of foam flying off the external fuel tank at lift off.

Challenger - The Second Shuttle
The second shuttle to enter operations completed its first flight in 1983. During its ten missions, the shuttle was in space for a total of 69 days and circled the Earth 987 times. On one of the missions, the astronaut Bruce McCandless left the shuttle without a safety line and went on a 30 metre spacewalk - he was the first to do so. On 28th January 1986, Challenger exploded 73 seconds after lift-off and all seven crew members were killed.

Discovery - The Third Shuttle
Although Discovery was built like Challenger, enabling it to carry the upper stage of the Centaur carrier rocket in the payload bay, it weighs in 6,870 pounds (3,116 kilos) lighter than Columbia. But a launch with the Centaur stage was never carried out - after the Challenger accident this was held to be too risky.

To date, Discovery has been the only shuttle to fly since the Columbia disaster.

Discovery's 2005 mission to take parts and supplies to the ISS did not go entirely as planned. Cameras monitoring the lift-off detected foam flying off the external fuel tank and hitting heatshield tiles on the underside of the shuttle. NASA engineers were concerned because they believe a foam-damaged wing caused Columbia to break up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere.

Discovery's crew of seven astronauts made temporary repairs to the shuttle in orbit and landed safely.

Atlantis - The Fourth Shuttle
The spaceship Atlantis had an empty weight of 151,315 pounds (68,635 kilos), totalling 171,000 pounds (77,564 kilos) with the built-in main engines, carried out missions such as that to the Galileo Planetary Explorer in 1989, and released the Arthur Holley Compton gamma ray observatory in 1991.

Endeavour - The Newest Shuttle
Schoolchildren were particularly active in the name search for the new shuttle. Endeavour won. Endeavour's first mission was in May 1992. The mission involved a spectacular rescue operation of a communication satellite that had got out of control. Amazingly the Endeavour can stay in space for up to 28 days.