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|  Crippen Awarded Space Medal of Honor
Bob Crippen, pilot on the first shuttle mission in 1981, has been honored with the nation's highest award for spaceflight achievement, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
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Early on the morning of April 12, 1981, two astronauts sat strapped into their seats on the flight deck of Columbia, a radically new spacecraft known as the space shuttle.
John Young, the commander, had already flown in space four times, including a walk on the moon in 1972. Bob Crippen, the pilot, was a Navy test pilot who would go on to command three future shuttle missions. But nothing either man had done or would do was quite like this.
+ Read More | + Flash Feature | + Young, Crippen Interview
+ Anniversary Events | + Watch NASA TV
1991: 10th Anniversary Coverage
One of the most comprehensive accounts of Columbia's first flight can be found in this April 1991 edition of NASA's Space News Roundup, including a special article about the orbiter's development titled "The Amazing All-Electric Flying Machine," written by Brian Welch.
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| Crippen Awarded Space Medal of Honor
Bob Crippen, pilot of the first space shuttle mission in 1981, is awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
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+ STS-1 Anniversary Page
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| STS-1 Crew and the 'Infinitely Smarter' Flight
Young and Crippen recall the first flight of NASA's prototype space shuttle.
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| Touchdown! The Landing of STS-1
In the words of one witness, Columbia's California landing on April 14, 1981, was "a happening."
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| A Surprise Tribute
Kennedy Space Center renames its Firing Room 1 in honor of STS-1 Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen.
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| It Only Looks Like the Original
Looks are deceiving as major changes to the space shuttle took place over the last 25 years.
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| Launching the New Era
Trusted components, facilities and work force will power NASA's future exploration.
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| Freedom and Liberty Go to Sea
NASA's ships fill key roles.
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+ View Video (Real)
+ View Video (Winows)
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| Suiting Up for Safety
A public affairs writer gets a middeck seat to a space shuttle simulation.
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