Times Union

Photos: On this day in 1981, Space Shuttle Columbia launches

On this day - April 12, 1981 - The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place - the STS-1 mission. Space Shuttle Columbia (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first ...
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The Soviet space shuttle built from NASA secrets

While NASA celebrated the launch of its first Space Shuttle in 1981, the Soviet Union was racing to build its own orbital ...
insider.si.edu

NASA Space Shuttle : 1981 onwards (all models) : an insight into the design, construction and operation of the Nasa Space Shuttle / David Baker

Explores the shuttle's design, construction, and use and provides detailed information about the technical attention required before and after a mission. Contains an explanation of the operation of ...
National Academies of Sciences%2c Engineering%2c and Medicine

Upgrading the Space Shuttle

The space shuttle system has been modified many times since the first launch of space shuttle Columbia in 1981. During the 1980s, major upgrade programs were established to respond to problems and ...
Reuters

Timeline: Key dates in U.S. space shuttle program

(Reuters) - Space shuttles have played a pivotal role in the U.S. space program. They made their debut in 1981 and enabled NASA to learn how to live and work in orbit. But the workhorse spacecraft ...