航天飞机作为一种以火箭发动机为动力装置,可以垂直发射、在轨运行、水平降落,往返于地球表面和近地轨道之间,可重复使用的载人航天器,经过30年的运行使用,成就了人类航天发射、空间站建设、施放/回收卫星、维护航天器的重任后,开始退役。回眸这段历程,盘点其得失,总结经验教训,对于后航天飞机时代的发展有着十分重要的作用。美国航天卅载共建造了“企业”号、“哥伦比亚”号、“挑战者”号、“发现” As a kind of rocket engine powered device, the space shuttle can launch vertically, orbit, orbit horizontally, and return to and from the Earth’s surface and near-Earth orbit, reusable manned spacecraft, after 30 years of operation and use, Achieved the launch of human spaceflight, space station construction, cast / recovery satellite, the responsibility to maintain the spacecraft, began to retire. Review this course, inventory its gains and losses, sum up experience and lessons for the development of the space shuttle era has a very important role. NASA has built a number of “enterprises”, “Columbia”, “Challenger”, “Discovery”