First Space Shuttle Flight

Columbia carried a crew of two mission commander john w.
First space shuttle flight. The space shuttle columbia was the first space rated orbiter in nasa s space shuttle fleet. Young the columbia undertook a 54 hour space flight of 36 orbits before successfully touching down at california s edwards air force base on. It launched for the first time on mission sts 1 on april 12 1981 the first flight of the space shuttle program. Young and pilot robert l.
Crippen and john w. Piloted by astronauts robert l. The first orbiter columbia launched on 12 april 1981 and returned on 14 april 54 5 hours later having orbited the earth 36 times. We strive for accuracy and fairness.
The sun rises over kennedy space center. But if you see something that doesn t look right click here to contact us. Sts 1 by henry c. The space shuttle s first flight.
Nasa launched first flight of space shuttle atlantis on this day in 1985. The last apollo lunar mission flew in december 1972 and the joint american russian apollo soyuz earth orbital mission closed in july 1975. First shuttle launch 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. Read details the space shuttle atlantis was america s fourth operational and was built by rockwell international after a contract was handed by nasa on january 29 1979.
Dethloff the first mission of the space transport system sts 1 or space shuttle flew on april 12 1981 ending a long hiatus in american space flight. On april 12 1981 nasa launched the first space shuttle into orbit. Astronaut john young a veteran of four previous spaceflights including a walk on the moon in 1972 commanded the mission.