First Space Shuttle Flight

Setting the scene

The first space shuttle flight, STS-1, launched on April 12, 1981, when Columbia lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen. The launch occurred exactly 20 years after Yuri Gagarin's first human spaceflight. Columbia was the first reusable spacecraft designed to launch like a rocket and land like an airplane, promising routine access to space.

What happened

The two-day mission tested the shuttle's systems, orbiting Earth 36 times. Young, a veteran of Gemini and Apollo, and Crippen, on his first flight, performed flawlessly despite concerns about the untested vehicle—previous spacecraft had been tested unmanned, but the shuttle flew crewed on its first flight. Columbia landed at Edwards Air Force Base on April 14, gliding to a perfect touchdown.

Why it still matters

STS-1 began the 30-year Space Shuttle program (1981-2011), which flew 135 missions, built the International Space Station, launched the Hubble Space Telescope, and made spaceflight seem routine. The shuttle's promise of low-cost reusable flight was never fully realized—each launch cost $1.5 billion, and two shuttles were lost with 14 astronauts killed (Challenger 1986, Columbia 2003). April 12, 1981, marked a new era in spaceflight, demonstrating American technological prowess and the dream of reusable spacecraft.

Background

NASA pursued cheaper access to orbit.