The Space Shuttle was developed by NASA during the 1970s to give the United States a relatively inexpensive reusable vehicle to take people and equipment to and from low earth orbit.

The Space Shuttle concept was developed to replace expensive throw away rocket launchers with a more efficient reusable system.

Approval for the Shuttle program was given on 5 January 1972 with the expectation that this new system would open the door to efficient and commonplace space travel.

To aid in its development a test vehicle, the Enterprise, was constructed to test many of the Shuttle functions without itself going into space.

The first shuttle space flight was made on 21 April 1981 but the Shuttle did not live up to its early promise and final Shuttle flight took place in July 2011.

This model represents the Enterprise as it appeared between 1 May and 23 June 1979.

Revell 1/144 kit completed by Leigh Edmonds in December 2005.