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Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA.Named after the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe, and the female personification of the United States, Columbia was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space, debuting the Space Shuttle launch vehicle on its maiden flight on April 12, 1981 and ...
The external tank is released from the Space Shuttle orbiter. The first launch of the Space Shuttle occurred on April 12, 1981, exactly 20 years after the first crewed space flight, when the orbiter Columbia lifted off from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch took place at 12:00:04 UTC.
It discusses the history of the Space Shuttle program, and documents the post-disaster recovery and investigation efforts. [90] Michael Leinbach, a retired Launch Director at KSC who was working on the day of the disaster, released Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew in 2018. It documents his personal ...
Launch date Mission Shuttle Crew [a] Duration Launch pad Landing site Notes Refs. 1 12 April 1981 12:00:04 UTC 07:00:04 EST STS-1: Columbia: 2 02d 06h LC-39A: Edwards: First orbital flight test; First reusable orbital spacecraft flight; Maiden flight of Columbia; Maiden flight of the Space Shuttle program [18] [19] [20] 2 12 November 1981 15:10 ...
The mission lasted a total of 6 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 51 seconds. STS-61-C was the last successful Space Shuttle flight before the Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986, only 10 days after Columbia ' s return. Accordingly, commander Gibson later called the STS-61-C mission "The End of Innocence" for the Shuttle Program.
The shuttle program was marked by triumphs and failures, including the 2003 Columbia disaster. The tragedies left a lasting mark on the perception of risks in space.
The Space Shuttle's operations were supported by vehicles and infrastructure that facilitated its transportation, construction, and crew access. The crawler-transporters carried the MLP and the Space Shuttle from the VAB to the launch site. [33] The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) were two modified Boeing 747s that could carry an orbiter on its ...
Columbia was flown back to the Kennedy Space Center on November 25, 1981. STS-2 was the first Space Shuttle flight where O-ring blow-by was observed. After the damage was discovered, another O-ring was intentionally damaged to a further degree. It was then put through a flight simulation at three times the flight pressure.