Space shuttles Previously, all ventures in to space were achieved with giant rockets which, after a certain amount of time , were directed back in to the earth's atmosphere to be reduced to a cinder by the enormous heat of re entry -after the crew and their capsule had been ejected virtually all of that tremendously expensive equipment was destroyed after only one use. The shuttle, however, to quote to a National Aeronautics And Space Administration officials ,"is the first craft to be launched like a rocket, haul like a truck and land like an aero plane". It goes in to the orbit round the earth taking in to the space scientists, artificial satellites, complete laboratories and equipment then returns to its base ready to repeat the exercise time and time again. But the development of such a bold project has not come cheaply. The programme has already cost many billions of dollars and whole new manufacturing process have had to pioneered. New systems in aviation- Avionics - have been developed: shuttle's computers can handle all her manoeuvres with out human assistance ,even the most hazardous re-entry. Today four space shuttles are being used namely 1. Columbia 2. Discovery 3. Atlantis 4. Endeavour