STS-1
Mission / eventCompleted
First orbital Space Shuttle mission
STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the first crewed flight of Space Shuttle Columbia. John Young and Robert Crippen launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 12, 1981, tested the new reusable in space, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base on April 14 after proving the shuttle's basic ascent, orbital, entry, and runway-landing profile.
Mission photo archive
Reviewed photographs documenting STS-1. Every image links to its official NASA catalog record.
Launch views of the Columbia for the STS-1 mission, April 12, 1981 event hero
S81-30463 (12 April 1981) --- The space shuttle Columbia rises off Pad 39A a few seconds past 7 a.m. (EST) on April 12, 1981. Onboard, astronauts John W. Young, STS-1 commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, head toward an Earth-orbital mission which represents the beginning of a new era in space transportation. Thousands of persons were in the area to view the historic launch. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Portraits - STS-1
S79-31775 (29 April 1979) --- These two astronauts are the prime crewmen for the first flight in the Space Transportation System (STS-1) program. Astronauts John W. Young, left, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, will man the space shuttle orbiter 102 Columbia for the first orbital flight test. Photo credit: NASA
LANDING - STS-1 - EDWARDS AFB (EAFB), CA
S81-30734 (14 April 1981) --- The rear wheels of the space shuttle orbiter Columbia (STS-1) touch down on Rogers dry lake at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California to successfully complete a stay in space of more than two days. Astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, are aboard the vehicle. The mission marked the first NASA flight to end with a wheeled landing and represents the beginning of a new age of spaceflight that will employ the same hardware repeatedly. Photo credit: NASA
Launch record
Explore this mission’s launch, including its vehicle, launch site, payload, and outcome.
OV-102 OFT-1
launch attemptOrbital attemptcompletedNo reviewed launch image8 connectionsMission dossier
Flight profile, locations, hardware, and outcome in the same reference format used throughout the archive.
Flight profile
Places and recovery
- Launch site
- Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A[1]
- Landing site
- Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 23[1]
Mission record
- Mission type
- Orbital [1]
- Vehicle
- STS-1 flight stack[1]
- Orbiter
- Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102)[1]
- Crew and station travelers
- 2[1]
Trajectory profile
3 sourcesFollow the mission from departure through its flight environment, destination, and final phase. This sequence is not a scale orbital plot.
Mission locations
3 sourcesDocumented surface, test, landing, and recovery locations. Map links use the cited place name or exact coordinates; AstronautAtlas does not geocode or estimate missing positions.
Departure or test site
Launch site
Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A
Landing site
Landing site
Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 23
Assignment Manifest
The flight crew and the backup team assigned to train for this mission.
Prime crew
2 assignmentsMission Purpose
3 sources- Launch Columbia safely into on the first orbital Space Shuttle test flight.
- Verify systems during ascent, orbit, entry, and runway landing.
- Collect development flight instrumentation data on vehicle performance and flight loads.
- Return Columbia and crew safely to Earth for post-flight inspection and reuse analysis.
Planned Flight Plan
3 sources- Launch
First shuttle ascent
Columbia was scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39A with a two-person crew and no operational payload beyond flight-test instrumentation.
- Orbit
systems test
Young and Crippen checked flight-control, propulsion, thermal, payload bay, and crew systems during the first orbital shuttle test.
- Entry
Reusable spacecraft return
The mission plan required Columbia to perform deorbit, , unpowered approach, and runway landing after the orbital test period.
Mission Timeline
3 sources- April 10, 1981
Launch scrub
The first launch attempt was scrubbed because of a timing problem between Columbia's primary computers and backup flight software.
- April 12, 1981
Launch
Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center on the first orbital Space Shuttle mission.
- April 12-14, 1981
Orbital test flight
The crew operated Columbia in orbit while flight instrumentation recorded the 's performance.
- April 14, 1981
Landing
Columbia landed at Edwards Air Force Base, completing the first orbital flight of the Space Shuttle program.
Open operation record