The space shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in NASA 's orbital fleet.

哥伦比亚号航空航天飞机是美国航天局轨道船队第一个有价值的空间航天飞机。

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The mission is NASA's 132nd space shuttle flight since the fleet began launching into space in April 1981.

自1981年4月首次进入太空以来，本次任务是NASA航天飞机的第132次太空飞行。

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The legislation adds one more space shuttle flight before the shuttle fleet is retired next year, and it extends the life of the International space Station through at least 2020.

这项法案在美国航天飞机退役之前增加了一次航天飞机飞行，法案还将国际空间站的运行期限延长到至少2020年。

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NASA plans to retire the shuttle fleet, bringing US manned space flight to an end, for the forseeable future.

VOA: standard.2010.04.15

SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan, who is beginning work on Virgin's space fleet, has promised to ride along with Branson on the first flight.

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Tuesday's launch marks the culmination of six years of preparation to bring commercial flights to the space station following the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet last year.

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While Curiosity's landing is bound to burnish NASA's image and improve its employee morale, the mission may provide only a temporary political boost for an agency that has struggled to chart a new course amid spending constraints, persistent legislative fights and last year's retirement of the space shuttle fleet.

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