The space shuttle was an engineering feat. Once this machine was built it could carry up to 7 astronauts at a time. The best thing about the shuttle was that it was reusable. After it was launched into space using solid rocket boosters it would glide back down like an airplane, then the wheels would deploy and it would land on a runway. Since it was reusable the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) didn't have to spend millions of dollars on making a new one every time. The space shuttle launched 135 times from 1981- 2011. Every launch has brought us a countless amount of information that has helped us progress as a species.
