The Dream of the Space Shuttle | NASA’s Reusable Spacecraft

After the Apollo Moon landings, NASA faced an uncertain future. The Saturn V rockets were retired, the Space Race had been won, and funding for space exploration was shrinking.What came next would become one of the most ambitious spacecraft ever built.In this episode of Orbital Briefing, Ron Walker explores how NASA moved from the Apollo program to the development of the Space Shuttle — a revolutionary reusable spacecraft designed to launch like a rocket, land like an airplane, and fly again and again.The Space Shuttle would go on to fly 135 missions, deploy satellites, repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and help build the International Space Station. But the vehicle that eventually launched in 1981 was the result of years of political negotiations, engineering compromises, and bold vision.This is the story of how the dream of reusable spaceflight began.New episodes of Orbital Briefing release every other Thursday.Next episode: The Saturn V — Rocket to the MoonSponsored by:The American Spaceplane: A Story of Ambition, Risk, and Reinventionhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQS1VG8X