<P> The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) , which accomplished routine transportation for Earth - to - orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011 . Its official name , Space Transportation System ( STS ) , was taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development . </P>
<P> The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) , which accomplished routine transportation for Earth - to - orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011 . Its official name , Space Transportation System ( STS ) , was taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development . </P>
when did the us space shuttle program began
when did the us space shuttle program began
1981
1981