Categories: Space FlightSpace Shuttle

A Look Back at the First Ever Space Shuttle Mission

As we await the final launch of a space shuttle, here’s a blast from the past: the first ever space shuttle mission (complete with early 80’s funky music). Columbia launched on the first flight (STS-1) on April 12, 1981 and landed in California on April 14.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy has been with Universe Today since 2004, and has published over 6,000 articles on space exploration, astronomy, science and technology. She is the author of two books: "Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions," (2019) which shares the stories of 60 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make landing on the Moon possible; and "Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos" (2016) tells the stories of those who work on NASA's robotic missions to explore the Solar System and beyond. Follow Nancy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nancy_A and and Instagram at and https://www.instagram.com/nancyatkinson_ut/