KIDS TRIVIA

Detailed explanation-1: -The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, the last flight of the orbiter Atlantis, lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on July 8, 2011.

Detailed explanation-2: -After the Columbia loss in 2003, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report showed that STS was risky/unsafe, and due to the expense to make Shuttle safe, in 2004, President G.W.Bush announced (along with the VSE policy) that Shuttle would be retired in 2010 (after completing the ISS assembly).

Detailed explanation-3: -Seven crewed missions were launched into orbit during 2011, carrying a total of 28 astronauts to the International Space Station. Additionally, the Zenit-3F and Long March 2F/G carrier rockets made their maiden flights in 2011, while the Delta II Heavy made its last.

Detailed explanation-4: -NASA’s Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.