Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle program was NASA’s fourth human spaceflight programme and ran from 1981 to 2011. Its aim was routine transport of crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. It flew 135 missions and carried 355 astronauts from 16 countries. Besides launching and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, it docked with the Russian Mir station and carried the parts that built the International Space Station. The programme lost two crews, on Challenger STS-51-L in 1986 and Columbia STS-107 in 2003. Crew Dragon later took over its crew-transport role.

Events

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

Drag, zoom or press play to watch them on this page.

  1. Hubble Servicing Mission 4: Final Shuttle Repair Plans Explained

    Plasma Ben

  2. Challenger: O-Rings, a Cold Launch Night and NASA’s Decisions

    The New York Times

  3. Fixing Hubble: Cepollina on Five Servicing Missions and COSTAR

    Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

  4. Columbia STS-107: Foam Impact Test Blows Hole in Wing Panel

    AP Archive

  5. Challenger STS-51L: How Cold O-Rings Led to the 1986 Disaster

    Mr. Beat

  6. Challenger 51-L: O-Rings, a Cold Launch and the Decision to Go

    M M

  7. Hubble Servicing Mission 1: Endeavour’s Repair of a Flawed Mirror

    NASA Goddard

  8. STS-82: How Discovery’s Crew Gave Hubble Infrared Vision

    NASA Goddard

  9. STS-109: Columbia’s Hubble Upgrade and the Leaking Spacesuit

    NASA Goddard

  10. Hubble’s Flawed Mirror: How COSTAR Fixed It After Launch

    Primal Space

  11. Hubble Servicing Mission 4: From Cancellation to Final Repair

    NASA Goddard

  12. Columbia STS-107: How Foam Damage Led to Seven Deaths on Reentry

    Weird History

  13. Hubble Servicing Mission: How Endeavour’s Crew Fixed the Mirror

    Aviation & Space

  14. Challenger: How Cold-Shrunk O-Rings Led to the Booster Leak

    History

  15. Challenger STS-51-L: The 73 Seconds From Liftoff to Breakup

    The Infographics Show

  16. Challenger STS-51-L: The O-Ring Seals, Cold Launch and Rogers Report

    Plainly Difficult

  17. Columbia Disaster: How ABC News Reported the Shuttle’s Loss

    ABC News

  18. Challenger 51-L: From Teacher in Space to the Loss of Seven Crew

    National Geographic

  19. Challenger 1986: O-Ring Failure and the Loss of Seven Astronauts

    National Geographic UK

  20. Columbia STS-107: How a Foam Strike Led to the Shuttle’s Loss

    100% True Docs | Full Documentaries

  21. Challenger: How a Cold-Weather O-Ring Failure Led to the Disaster

    Free Documentary – Space

  22. Challenger STS-51-L: Cold, O-Rings and the Rogers Commission

    DocuReal

  23. Columbia STS-107: From Foam Strike to Breakup on Re-entry

    Documentary Overload

  24. Challenger STS-51-L: NBC4’s Live Broadcast of the 1986 Launch

    Nbcla

  25. Columbia STS-107: How a Foam Strike Led to Breakup on Re-entry

    3DCrash

  26. Columbia’s Last Mission: Foam Strike to Breakup Over Texas

    The Infographics Show

  27. Columbia STS-107: How a Foam Strike and Missed Imagery Led to Loss

    Andy R Animations

  28. How NASA Recovered Space Shuttle Boosters From the Atlantic

    Scott Manley

  29. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Failure, Cold Launch and Return to Flight

    FilmRise Television

  30. Challenger STS-51-L: The Night Engineers Said Don’t Launch

    Margin of Loss

  31. Challenger: the O-Ring Chart and the Launch-Eve Teleconference

    Failure Point for You

  32. Challenger STS-51-L: The Seals, the Cold and 73 Seconds

    Horror Archive

  33. Challenger’s Wreckage: Why NASA Sealed It in Missile Silos

    Rocketyard

  34. Challenger: How Thiokol’s Engineers Were Overruled the Night Before

    Hubris Engine

  35. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Warnings, Cabin Evidence, Rogers Findings

    Hidden Timeline

  36. Columbia STS-107: Five Failures Behind the Foam Strike on the Wing

    Holes Aligned

  37. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Rings, Cold and the Overruled Warning

    Cindermap

  38. Challenger STS-51-L: The Cold O-Ring and the Launch Call

    Matter & Empire

  39. Challenger STS-51-L: The O-Ring Warning and the 73-Second Flight

    CliphangerEntertainment

  40. Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

    The Record Institute
Play video: Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

The Record Institute

Duration 10:37

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  2. Columbia’s Last Mission: Foam Strike to Breakup Over Texas

    DocumentaryThe Infographics Show · 21:04

    Mission: Columbia STS-107 (2003)

  3. Challenger: How Thiokol’s Engineers Were Overruled the Night Before

    DocumentaryHubris Engine · 9:18

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  4. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Warnings, Cabin Evidence, Rogers Findings

    DocumentaryHidden Timeline · 7:14

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  5. Columbia STS-107: Five Failures Behind the Foam Strike on the Wing

    DocumentaryHoles Aligned · 6:56

    Mission: Columbia STS-107 (2003)

  6. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Rings, Cold and the Overruled Warning

    DocumentaryCindermap · 14:58

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  7. Challenger STS-51-L: The O-Ring Warning and the 73-Second Flight

    DocumentaryCliphangerEntertainment · 5:20

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  9. Hubble Servicing Mission: How Endeavour’s Crew Fixed the Mirror

    DocumentaryAviation & Space · 47:41

    Mission: Hubble Servicing Mission 1 (1993)

  10. Columbia STS-107: How a Foam Strike and Missed Imagery Led to Loss

    DocumentaryAndy R Animations · 1:49:25

    Mission: Columbia STS-107 (2003)

  11. Columbia STS-107: From Foam Strike to Breakup on Re-entry

    DocumentaryDocumentary Overload · 54:15

    Mission: Columbia STS-107 (2003)

  12. Columbia STS-107: How a Foam Strike Led to the Shuttle’s Loss

    Documentary100% True Docs | Full Documentaries · 54:15

    Mission: Columbia STS-107 (2003)

  13. Columbia STS-107: How Foam Damage Led to Seven Deaths on Reentry

    DocumentaryWeird History · 10:53

    Mission: Columbia STS-107 (2003)

  14. STS-109: Columbia’s Hubble Upgrade and the Leaking Spacesuit

    Mission explainerNASA Goddard · 6:08

    Mission: STS-109 Hubble Servicing Mission 3B

  15. Fixing Hubble: Cepollina on Five Servicing Missions and COSTAR

    DocumentarySmithsonian National Air and Space Museum · 1:13:19

    Mission: Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions

  16. STS-82: How Discovery’s Crew Gave Hubble Infrared Vision

    Mission explainerNASA Goddard · 5:49

    Mission: STS-82 Hubble Servicing Mission 2 (1997)

  17. Hubble’s Flawed Mirror: How COSTAR Fixed It After Launch

    DocumentaryPrimal Space · 8:25

    Mission: Hubble Space Telescope

  18. Columbia STS-107: How a Foam Strike Led to Breakup on Re-entry

    Mission explainer3DCrash · 7:33

    Mission: Columbia STS-107 (2003)

  19. Hubble Servicing Mission 4: From Cancellation to Final Repair

    Mission explainerNASA Goddard · 7:13

    Mission: Hubble Servicing Mission 4

  20. Challenger: the O-Ring Chart and the Launch-Eve Teleconference

    DocumentaryFailure Point for You · 10:42

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  21. Challenger’s Wreckage: Why NASA Sealed It in Missile Silos

    DocumentaryRocketyard · 13:57

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  22. Challenger STS-51-L: The Cold O-Ring and the Launch Call

    DocumentaryMatter & Empire · 21:46

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  23. Challenger STS-51-L: The Seals, the Cold and 73 Seconds

    DocumentaryHorror Archive · 28:39

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  24. Challenger STS-51-L: The Night Engineers Said Don’t Launch

    DocumentaryMargin of Loss · 21:26

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

Related topics

Follow a program, a vehicle, a destination, an agency or a kind of mission.

Program