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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Another of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds is parked on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The aerial demonstration squadron is performing for the World Space Expo being held from Nov. 1 to Nov. 4 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Other aircraft participating in the salute include U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornet, U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle, the P-51 Mustang Heritage Flight and the U.S. Air Force 920th Rescue Wing, which was responsible for Mercury and Gemini capsule recovery. The U.S. Army Golden Knights also will demonstrate precision skydiving. The World Space Expo is an event to commemorate humanity's first 50 years in space while looking forward to returning people to the moon and exploring beyond. The expo will showcase various panels, presentations and educational programs. It also is a part of NASA's 50th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the 45th Anniversary of the Mercury Program celebration featuring original NASA astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter and the Pioneering Women of Aerospace forum featuring Eileen Collins and other prominent female space veterans. The agency was founded Oct. 1, 1958. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-07pd3053
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Another of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds is parked on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The aerial demonstration squadron is performing for the World Space Expo being held from Nov. 1 to Nov. 4 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Other aircraft participating in the salute include U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornet, U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle, the P-51 Mustang Heritage Flight and the U.S. Air Force 920th Rescue Wing, which was responsible for Mercury and Gemini capsule recovery. The U.S. Army Golden Knights also will demonstrate precision skydiving. The World Space Expo is an event to commemorate humanity's first 50 years in space while looking forward to returning people to the moon and exploring beyond. The expo will showcase various panels, presentations and educational programs. It also is a part of NASA's 50th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the 45th Anniversary of the Mercury Program celebration featuring original NASA astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter and the Pioneering Women of Aerospace forum featuring Eileen Collins and other prominent female space veterans. The agency was founded Oct. 1, 1958. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
The Space Shuttle program was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011, administered by NASA and officially beginning in 1972. The Space Shuttle system—composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank— carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). When its mission was complete, the orbiter would re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and lands as a glider. Although the concept had been explored since the late 1960s, the program formally commenced in 1972 and was the focus of NASA's manned operations after the final Apollo and Skylab flights in the mid-1970s. It started with the launch of the first shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981, on STS-1. and finished with its last mission, STS-135 flown by Atlantis, in July 2011.
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