The Space Shuttle Story

The Space Shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft. Conceived during the years of the Apollo lunar program, was intended to service space stations, lower the costs of space travel and simplify the access to the moon and beyond. In its 30-year history, the Shuttle Space Program took astronauts on dozens of successful missions, contributing to some of the best scientific achievements of the last decades. But the successes were overshadowed by tragedies. In 1986, the Challenger exploded during launch. In 2003, the Columbia broke up during re-entry. Now that is over, how will the Space Shuttle be remembered? As a great adventure in human exploration? Or as a fatally-flawed white elephant?

Dr. Daniele Fantin explores the questions.