This colorful Young Astronaut Happy Meal toy from Germany is labeled as a NASA Space Shuttle and was distributed by the fast-food chain McDonald’s in 1992 during the Space Shuttle Era. NASA Space Shuttles were composed of three main components: a reusable orbiter, two reusable solid rocket boosters, and a disposable external fuel tank. The orbiter served as the crew’s home in space and was equipped to dock with the International Space Station. There were six orbiters in total, starting with Enterprise and continuing with Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. Between April 12, 1981, and July 21, 2011, NASA’s space shuttle fleet flew 135 missions. The space shuttles carried people into orbit, launched, recovered, and repaired satellites, conducted research, and built the International Space Station. The final mission, STS-135, ended on July 21, 2011, when orbiter Atlantis rolled to a stop at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

During the 1990s, NASA was at the peak of its Space Shuttle program and completed sixty-three missions, doubling the amount from the previous decade. NASA’s Space Shuttle missions spurred the creation of new toys related to space exploration. This McDonald’s Space Shuttle toy was distributed across Germany and highlights NASA’s impact on inspiring children all over the world to learn about space through play.