The Final Frontier?

The first functional space shuttle, Columbia, was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center on this date in 1979.  Not even 10 years after the moon landing, and just a few years after the end of the Apollo Program, the new shuttle program was to represent America's future in space.  The Columbia had its first "maiden flight" earlier in the month perched atop a larger aircraft to test aerodynamic principles.  One of the results of that first flight was the loss of thousands of temporary and permanent thermal tiles.  The first official launch was actually scheduled for November of 1979, but was delayed because of continued problems with the tiles.  The Columbia, of course, was the shuttle that disintegrated upon re-entry in 2003 because of thermal tile malfunction.  That said, the vehicle was spaceworthy enough to complete 27 missions before its final, fatal mission.

The Shuttle program was indeed the future of the space program for over 30 years, from its maiden voyage (Columbia) on April 12, 1981 until the final flight of the Atlantis which landed safely on July 21, 2011.  With funding cuts in the last several years the future of the space program and particularly manned space flight is in jeopardy, with the most promising options being commercial, as opposed to government, ventures.  Overall, despite the tragedies of the Columbia and Challenger missions, the program was a success, with 134 successful launches and 133 safe returns out of a total of 135 missions.  Where we go next is up in the air...