collectSPACE - news - "Designing an uplifting end to NASA's space shuttle program"

Artist-supplied caption:

The design celebrates the Space Shuttle's thirty years of orbital operations (1981 - 2010) and the many great accomplishments of the Space Shuttle program.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown prominently over the Earth. Three other spacecraft join the Space Shuttle in this design, symbolizing just a few of the many achievements made possible by the Shuttle program.

To the left of the Shuttle is the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched, assembled, and populated largely by Space Shuttle missions (together with Russian modules and vehicles).

Shown above the ISS is an astronaut floating free in space using a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The MMU was first demonstrated on a Shuttle flight.

To the right of the orbiter is the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble was launched into space, placed in orbit, and serviced several times using the Space Shuttle. Stars and a galaxy represent the expanding knowledge of the universe the Hubble has given us.

The Moon and Mars are illustrated to represent the future direction of human space exploration, and the many science achievements the Space Shuttle program has contributed toward those goals.

Six small stars represent the six orbiters in the Shuttle fleet. The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) surround the design.

The two seven pointed stars, placed near the names of Columbia and Challenger pay tribute to the loss of those orbiters and the seven member astronaut crews of each of those missions.