Space Shuttle program

Historical eventMay 71992

Space Shuttle program

Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, STS-49.

Everything on May 7Original source

In context

When
Thursday, May 7 199234 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1990s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: 1972 – 2011.

What came before

Background Various shuttle concepts had been explored since the late 1960s. The program formally commenced in 1972, becoming the sole focus of NASA's human spaceflight operations after the Apollo , Skylab , and Apollo–Soyuz programs in 1975. The Shuttle was originally conceived of and presented to the public in 1972 as a 'Space Truck' which would, among other things, be used to build a United States space station in low Earth orbit during the 1980s and then be replaced by a new vehicle by the early 1990s.

What happened

The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its official program name was carried over from the 1969 plan for the Space Transportation System (STS) of reusable spacecraft. Only the shuttle and supporting rockets were funded for development; a proposed nuclear lunar shuttle in the plan was canceled in 1972.

May 7 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1992Space Shuttle program
  2. 1999Guinea-Bissau
  3. 1999Kosovo War
  4. 2000Vladimir Putin
  5. 2002China Northern Airlines Flight 6136
  6. 2002EgyptAir Flight 843
  7. 2004Killing of Nick Berg
  8. 2009Napier, New Zealand
  9. 2010Neanderthal
  10. 20232023 Tanur boat disaster
  11. 2025Indian Army

Also in 1992

  • September 11Hurricane InikiHurricane Iniki, the most powerful hurricane on record to strike the Hawaiian Islands, passed directly over the island of Kauai, killing…
  • September 12Space Shuttle EndeavourAboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, American Mae Jemison became the first Black woman to travel to space.
  • September 12NASANASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47, which marks the 50th shuttle mission. On board are Mae Carol Jemison, the first African-…
  • September 12Abimael GuzmánAbimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path, is captured by Peruvian special forces; shortly thereafter the rest of Shining Path's leaders…
  • September 14Croatian Republic of Herzeg-BosniaThe Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared the breakaway Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia to be unconstitutional.
  • September 14Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declares the breakaway Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia to be illegal.
  • September 16Pound sterlingThe British pound (coin pictured) was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on Black Wednesday and suffered a major devaluat…
  • September 16Manuel NoriegaThe trial of the deposed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega ends in the United States with a 40-year sentence for drug trafficking and mo…

Everything we record for 1992 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Space Shuttle program”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/space-shuttle-program-1992-may-7, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Space Shuttle program happen?

May 7 1992 — 34 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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