Fifteen years ago today, the roar of engines and a pillar of fire lit up the Florida sky as Space Shuttle Discovery began its final journey into space.

The STS-51L mission clears the tower at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 28, 1986. Credit: NASA / Courtesy Sign up for the Concord Monitor’s morning newsletter for ...

The space shuttle system has been modified many times since the first launch of space shuttle Columbia in 1981. During the 1980s, major upgrade programs were established to respond to problems and ...

The space shuttle is the “world’s first reusable spacecraft,” launching like a rocket, orbiting like a spacecraft and landing like a plane. Space shuttles could carry satellites, space probes, and ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Forty years ago, the world watched in horror as NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded mid-air over Florida, killing all seven ...

In 2010, NASA retired four space shuttles, sending them across the United States as a historical reminder of the nation's space history. But none remain in Houston, where NASA’s Johnson Space Center ...

From Mercury & Apollo Missions to the Space Shuttle Program, Mars Rover Landings, & Artemis II. “The ability to turn around our launch pads and launch with frequency greater than every three years is ...

Jan. 28, 1986, 7 spacefarers were killed when shuttle Challenger exploded midair after launching from Kennedy Space Center in ...