SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY & BOOSTER ROCKETS 1/144 Scale REVELL 04736

The development of a transport system for NASA that could be reused in the main components began in 1972 at North American Rockwell and a number of other companies. The total weight of the ready-to-launch Space Shuttle is 2,055 t. A payload of 30 t can be carried into orbit up to 965 km above Earth. The orbiter prototype, the Enterprise, was completed in 1976. The Enterprise was used to study the flight and landing characteristics in the atmosphere and in the development of the space-capable ferry. The first launch of a space shuttle into space took place on April 12, 1981 with the space shuttle Columbia. With the completion of further orbiters from 1983, NASA significantly intensified its scientific-experimental and military-strategic activities together with the US Air Force. Communication and research satellites were transported into space, repairs were carried out on site and the American space station was set up and supplied. The Challenger was in space for the first time on April 4, 1983. The Discovery took off for the first time on August 30, 1984. Since October 3, 1985, the fourth space shuttle Atlantis has been deployed on 26 missions. The Endeavour made its first launch on May 7, 1992. This ferry has been equipped with numerous new devices and computers and thus overall more powerful. The orbiters can remain in space for a maximum of 28 days. The enormous structural and thermal loads during take-off and landing require constant checks and maintenance of all components as well as the improvement of the equipment. The heat shield on the front and bottom of the space shuttle is particularly affected and must be constantly monitored and repaired. Two tragic accidents that killed the entire crew resulted in the loss of the Challenger in 1986 and the Columbia in 2003. After a two-year interruption and extensive changes to the orbiters and the main tank, the flights continued. With her landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on August 9, 2005, the 31st flight of the Discovery and thus the 114th space shuttle mission of NASA could be successfully completed. With the resumption of shuttle flights, the expansion of the International Space Station (ISS) will continue in the coming years. This will also include the European space laboratory Columbus.