STS-1 Space Shuttle Columbia

The first launch of the Space Shuttle occurred on April 12, 1981, exactly 20 years after the first manned space flight, when the orbiter Columbia, with two crew members, astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, lifted off from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, at the Kennedy Space Center — the first of 24 launches from Pad A. It was exactly 7 am EST. A launch attempt 2 days earlier was scrubbed because of a timing problem in one of the Columbias general purpose computers. Not only was this the first launch of the Space Shuttle, but it marked the first time that solid fuel rockets were used for a US manned launch. It was also the first US manned space vehicle launched without an unmanned powered test flight. The STS-1 orbiter, Columbia, also holds the record for the amount of time spent in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) before launch — 610 days, time needed for replacement of many of its heat shield tiles. Primary mission objectives of the maiden flight were to check out the overall Shuttle system, accomplish a safe ascent into orbit and to return to Earth for a safe landing. All of these objectives were met successfully, and the Shuttle's worthiness as a space vehicle was verified. The STS-1 Shuttle reached an orbital altitude of 166 nautical miles. The only payload carried on the mission was a Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) package which contained sensors and measuring devices to record orbiter performance and the stresses that occurred ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCldydRDqho&hl=en