Space Shuttle Enterprise, Orbiter Vehicle 101, was the first shuttle. It never flew in space nor could it. It was used for flight tests in the atmosphere way back in 1977. They lifted it to altitude on the back of the Boeing 747 carrier aircraft and launched it to test its systems for descent and landing. It was the first shuttle built.

When I was a cadet at the Air Force Academy, an instructor in a science course brought in one of the thermal tiles for the shuttle, placed it in a kiln with tongs, and fired it up until it was glowing whitish-orange. By the time he pulled it back out with the tongs and pulled his asbestos gloves off, it had cooled off so that it was darker around the corners but still glowing orange in the center. He reached down and picked it up off the ceramic plate with his bare hand as we gasped and flinched. The tile material just does not retain heat, so the surface cools off very rapidly.