STS-1 Columbia's First Launch

STS-1: First Shuttle Launch

NASA provides the following information about this photo:

"On April 12, 1981, the Space Shuttle Columbia became the first shuttle to orbit the Earth.

"In this gorgeous time exposure, flood lights play on the Columbia and service structures (left) as it rests atop Complex 39's Pad A at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for first launch.

"Flown by Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen, Columbia spent 2 days aloft on its check-out mission, STS-1, which ended in a smooth landing, airplane-style, at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

"Ferried back to Kennedy by a modified Boeing 747, Columbia was launched again seven months later on STS-2, becoming the first piloted reuseable orbiter.

"...Columbia's 1981 debut was followed by shuttles Challenger in 1982 (destroyed in 1986), Discovery in 1983, Atlantis in 1985, and Challenger's replacement Endeavour in 1991."

Note the difference in the external fuel tank between this mission and STS-107 (in which a piece of debris hit the shuttle during launch).

Credits

Image, KSC [Kennedy Space Center], NASA