The Space Shuttle Columbia rises off Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, FL, in the early morning of April 12, 1981 on STS-1, the first orbital test flight of the Space Shuttle Program.
EC81-15515 / S81-30462
STS-1 Launch
The Space Shuttle Columbia rises off Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, FL, in the early morning of April 12, 1981 on STS-1, the first orbital test flight of the Space Shuttle Program. Astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, were aboard that mission which represented the beginning of a new era of low Earth orbit space transportation. Thousands of persons viewed the historic launch from viewing sites throughout the area.April 12, 1981
NASA photo