Detailed tour through the Space Shuttle Orbiter

It's great that they've kept the Orbiter in it's original condition with the partially worn skin. Nice tour Paul, as always.

One of the most amazing vehicles ever made by humans.

In my opinion the greatest space vehicle ever built. Watching launches on YouTube still brings me chills and also crank up the your sound system. Amazing all around. I miss the Space Shuttle program

Discovery was always my favourite vehicle. I love how they've preserved it with the "straight from orbit" look. To this day I still enjoy watching the old STS launches, especially when those SSMEs fire up, the flow dynamics are mesmerising.

I remember as a child growing up in California during the 70s, my class went on a field trip to where the tiles were made. They had a display set up and would take a blow torch to the tiles and they would be unharmed. I remember learning that each tile was unique and had its own individual spot on the orbiter. Thanks for a well-researched and well- presented tour.

The amount of engineering is phenomenal. The first space-worthy Space Shuttle was Columbia, which first launched in 1981. These were basically designed and built using technology from the 1970s with relatively few updates like a heads up display, a parachute, and making the external fuel tank lighter as time went on.

Thanks for watching everyone! I should clarify there were 6 Orbiters built but one (Enterprise OV-101) was not fitted with engines or a heat-shield. It was used for testing). Have you seen one of these Orbiters (or trainers) in the metal? Don't forget to subscribe too as I've got heaps of videos to come once I get around to editing them! The 747 SCA, F-14, B-47, B-58, F117, F-22, YF-12, YF-23, first Boeing 747/727/737 and others!

The most greatest thing made by humans. I miss space shuttles, i wish they couldnt gone Rip to space shuttle challenger and columbia and their magnificent crew 😢

I watched a zillion Orbiter videos before, but this was the first one to give a real impression on the size and non-roomy-ness of the crew compartment. Thank you for showing this tour!

I didn't realise just how small the command and living quarters are! Thanks for the tour, Paul!

Although being extremely inefficient economically, very dangerous for the crews (complete lack of emergency abort system), very problematic at maintenance (inspection/replacement of all ceramic tiles, complete disassembly of engines etc.), space shuttles remain to be the sample of how genius human beings are - especially once you realize all this was designed in 70's ♥ Fun fact: The overall design of the orbiter (and the space shuttle of course), including the shape and size of the wings, was determined by a SINGLE theoretical short polar-orbit mission requested by D.O.D. that actually NEVER took place! If not this single requirement, Space Shuttle would probably be much more efficient and many issues would simply disappear... But would they be still THAT beautiful? 😍 Loved Space Shuttles, they were the most beautiful peace of hardware that ever happened in space exploration. Thank you for this amazing tour. Hope one day I'd be able to take my kids to the USA and show them this peace of art and technology! ☺ Have a wonderful day! 😁

The Shuttle on re-entry would feel heat of around 10,000+ degrees Fahrenheit from what I recall. The Tiles could not withstand that, so somehow through a bunch of brilliant scientists they figured out how fluid physics work in space. This led to the use of the shuttles smooth shape to make a boundary layer. This boundary layer was a mix of two waves that collided to form one in the front of the shuttle. I know this stuff is old and was used on Capsules thru the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. But jeez, how did they figure all that out??

Next video : Detailed tour of Titanic.

I was one of the many, many proud Americans that went to LAX and watch one of the Shuttles to 2 fly by's on it's way up and down the Cal. coast to let people see it. It then landed. There were a great many people with me on Imperial Hwy just to the side of the runway on a hill. Perfect spot to see it land. Then a few nights later traveled with the shuttle as it made its way to the LA science center. Even got some pictures at night with it parked next to "Randy's Doughnut" store. The Iconic 30' dia. doughnut. Just last week I went to March air force base museum where they have a huge collection of planes. SR71, B-52 B-29. C-141, many cargo. F series from the beginning up to F-15. No F-117 or F-35. But they did have a Shuttle SRB which was cool. Have no idea how they got it there. C-5 Galaxy?

I saw space shuttle Atlantis in person less than a year ago. It was so much larger than I imagined. Thanks for the vid Paul

Thanks for your video. 👍 I liked the interior tour of the Space Shuttle. 🚀

Watching a night launch from my deck on the coast of North Carolina in the early 2000s was the coolest thing I've witnessed in my 52 years with the homecoming or National Victory Celebration as it's called in 1991 at the Mall in DC being the other. Now I'm watching the coolest aviation channel on YouTube so thank you for that.

I’m a crazy fanatic of the shuttle program as well. My mom let me stay home from school to watch many of those early launches and landings live on tv. I first saw Enterprise on display atop the SCA during a layover at our local airport once in ‘85. I saw Enterprise again in 2009 perhaps when it was on floor display at the Smithsonian. In 2010 my dreams came true as my parents and my family witnessed one of Discovery’s last launches live from the causeway at Cape Canaveral. 2022, another family trip to KSC to see Atlantis on display. And a few months ago, a short trip to Houston to see the mock orbiter displayed, mounted to the SCA there. My wife’s sister lives outside of L.A. so I hope on our next trip we all go to see the orbiter (Endeavor?) on display at their museum.

Six. There were six Space Shuttle orbiters built. Enterprise OV-101 was intended originally to be retrofitted as a spaceflight-capable vehicle after the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) and then the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Testing (MGVT) was done. But lessons learned in building Enterprise resulted in changes to the subsequent orbiters which meant far work had to be done to bring her up to spec and thus more money spent. So, instead OV-099 Challenger was built out of a test article airframe in place of Enterprise.

Space craft are always so impressive to see. Very cool stuff.