Orbiter (M)

In order to reduce the ever-increasing costs of space travel, NASA developed the Space Shuttle program that eventually resulted in six vehicles, with Columbia being the first to fly an operational mission in 1981. Over its nearly 30-year service record, two Shuttles have been lost, and three are still flyable, with the first prototype shuttle, Enterprise, at the Smithsonian museum.

Displayed here is the Space Shuttle Discovery, the oldest shuttle still in operation. This precisely detailed model shows the shuttle in landing configuration, its boosters and fuel tank absent. Painstaking craftsmanship ensures that this model will be a centerpiece item in any collection.