STS-1First Shuttle Launch On April 12, 1981, twenty years ago today, th Space Shuttle Columbiabecame the first shuttle to orbit the Earth.In thi gorgeous time exposure,flood lights play on the Columbia andservice structures (left) as...
Ferried back to Kennedy by modified Boeing 747, Columbia waslaunched again seven months later o STS-2, becoming the firstpiloted reuseable orbiter.The oldest operating shuttle, Columbia”s 1981 debut wasfollowed by shuttle Challenger in...
Space Shuttle Overview: Columbia (OV-102) On April 12, 1981, a bright white Columbia roared into a deep blue sky as the nation's first reusable Space Shuttle. Named after the first American ocean vessel to circle the globe and the...
The main objectives of the mission of this flight was to test the general system of the shuttle,to perform an ascent into orbit and return to earth to land safely. While these goals were achieved and the value of the shuttle spacecraft...
