NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is a manned spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions. At launch, it consists of a rust-colored external tank (ET), two white, slender solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and a winged orbiter (commonly referred to as the space shuttle). The orbiter carries astronauts and payload such as satellites or space station parts into low earth orbit and is usually crewed by five to seven astronauts. When the orbiter's mission is complete, it fires its orbital maneuvering thrusters to drop out of orbit and re-enters the Earth's atmosphere. During the descent and landing, the shuttle orbiter acts as a glider and makes a completely unpowered landing. Five spaceworthy orbiters were built, of which three remain. (adapted from Wikipedia)

• Wikipedia entry with links to more information
• NASA STS website
• Phil Broad's 'Real Hardware' website

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Many thanks to Martin Burkey, who provided the lion's share of these images. They are provided as a visual reference for scale modelers and factual space enthusiasts; they are not to be reproduced or redistributed for financial gain.