First Space Shuttle Flight
It launched for the first time on mission sts 1 on april 12 1981 the first flight of the space shuttle program.
First space shuttle flight. The first orbiter columbia launched on 12 april 1981 and returned on 14 april 54 5 hours later having orbited the earth 36 times. The space shuttle s first flight. Columbia carried a crew of two mission commander john w.
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. Sts 1 space transportation system 1 was the first orbital spaceflight of nasa s space shuttle program.
Astronaut john young a veteran of four previous spaceflights including a walk on the moon in 1972 commanded the mission. Piloted by astronauts robert l. Nasa launched first flight of space shuttle atlantis on this day in 1985.
Sts 1 by henry c. Crippen and john w. The spacecraft was the first crewed american craft to fly without a prior uncrewed test flight and was the first crewed mission to use solid fuel rockets.
Young and pilot robert l. We strive for accuracy and fairness. On april 12 1981 nasa launched the first space shuttle into orbit.
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. Young the columbia undertook a 54 hour space flight of 36 orbits before successfully touching down at california s edwards air force base on. The space shuttle columbia was the first space rated orbiter in nasa s space shuttle fleet.