First Space Launch

A new chapter in space flight began in july 1950 with the launch of the first rocket from cape canaveral fla.
First space launch. Crippen pilot lifted off from pad a launch complex 39 at the kennedy space center. The upper stage was able to reach then record altitudes of almost 250 miles higher than the international space station s orbit. A new era in space flight began on april 12 1981 when space shuttle columbia or sts 1 soared into orbit from nasa s kennedy space center in florida. Spaceflight began in the 20th century following theoretical and practical breakthroughs by konstantin tsiolkovsky and robert h.
Space efforts abreast of recent soviet achievements such as the launching of the world s first artificial satellite sputnik 1 in 1957. In the late 1950s. Nasa was established in 1958 to keep u s. Astronaut john young a veteran of four previous spaceflights including a walk on the moon in 1972 commanded the mission.
The first launch of the space shuttle occurred on 12 april 1981 exactly 20 years after the first crewed space flight when the orbiter columbia with two crew members astronauts john w. The launch took place at 7 a m. The bumper 2 an ambitious two stage rocket program that topped a v 2 missile base with a corporal rocket. Young commander and robert l.
Navy test pilot bob crippen piloted the mission and would go on to command three future shuttle missions.