January 5: Nixon announced that NASA would develop a space shuttle program (1972)

Space Shuttle Discovery

US President Richard Nixon announced that NASA would develop a space shuttle program to reduce the space exploration cost by using a reusable spacecraft. Since 1969, Nixon had supported proceeding with space shuttle development. Fundamental research about space shuttle had been performed and a program for the development of a space shuttle was announced on January 5, 1972.  Three months later, the US Congress approved the funding for the space shuttle program. As a result, five space shuttles were built: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. Apart from these five, a mockup (Inspiration) and a test shuttle (Enterprise) were built. The first space-worthy Space Shuttle Columbia's flight happened from April 12 to April 14 in 1981. Columbia broke apart during re-entry in 2003. Another space shuttle Challenger was destroyed in 73 second after launch and all seven crew members were died in 1986. Though there were some disasters and failures, the Space Shuttle had accomplished a number of successful space missions. NASA retired the Space Shuttle in 2011 after 30 years of great service.