SSC 'burp' sets up Space Shuttle

It may have been small, but the white puff of smoke from a 1.9 second "burp test" exiting the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) on April 21, 1978, set the stage for the beginning of NASA’s Space Shuttle era. The stakes could not have been higher for the test series underway 45 years ago at the site then known as the National Space Technology Laboratories. NASA employees in south Mississippi and throughout the agency were anxious to prove the critical propulsion system was ready to safely power the world’s first reusable spacecraft and carry humans into orbit. The main propulsion test article (MPTA) series would be the only testing of the shuttle propulsion system before astronauts flew on one of the boldest test flights in history. The space shuttle, described as taking off like a rocket and landing like a plane, required an astronaut to be at the controls to perform the last moments of flight. The initiation into the test series happened with a short duration firing of just 1.9 seconds, known as a burp test. However, that short test ensured all was ready to start the full test series. (Stennis Space Center 04/17/23) Stennis Flashback: NASA Test Series Leads to Bold Space Shuttle Flight | NASA