JSC History . ... NASA History . ... Space Shuttle: 1981 to 2011 . NASA's Space Shuttle orbiters were the first spacecraft capable of routinely launching into orbit like rockets and then returning to Earth as gliders. ... http://www.nasa.gov/agency/crm/shuttle/index.html . ... http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/oral_histories/sts-r.htm . ... http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/shuttle_pk/pk/Flight_001_STS-001_Press_Kit.pdf . ... http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/shuttle_pk/shuttle_press.htm . ...