Recently we viewed the launch (and return – landing) of the final space shuttle mission. That was a scheduled event – on the plan since the beginning, way back on April 12, 1981 when John Young and Bob Crippen first took Columbia into low-earth orbit space.

The space shuttle was designed and build primarily to transport parts for the assembly of the International Space Station. Over the years, in addition to support for the  Space Station, the shuttle was used for other purposes. For instance, it deployed the Hubble electron telescope and, later, repaired the same to correct malfunctions and replace aging parts.  Devices such as Hubble are just too large to launch on an unmanned rocket; the shuttle could take payloads the size of a bus!

Secret Defense Department missions and other satellites were also supported.