STS - 1 - Wikipedia STS - 1 This article is about the Space Shuttle flight. For Synchronous Transport Signal ( level ) - 1 in the SONET hierarchy, see Synchronous optical networking. For the gene, see STS - 1 ( gene ). STS - 1 The launch of STS - 1 Mission type Test flight Operator NASA COSPAR ID 1981 - 034A SATCAT no. 12399 Mission duration 2 days, 6 hours, 20 minutes, 53 seconds Distance travelled 1,728,000 kilometres ( 1,074,000 mi ) Orbits completed 37 Spacecraft properties Spacecraft Space Shuttle Columbia Crew Crew size Members John W. Young Robert L. Crippen Start of mission Launch date 12 April 1981, 12 : 00 : 03 ( 1981 - 04 - 12UTC12 : 00 : 03Z ) UTC Launch site Kennedy LC - 39A End of mission Landing date 14 April 1981, 18 : 20 : 57 ( 1981 - 04 - 14UTC18 : 20 : 58Z ) UTC Landing site Edwards, Runway 23 Orbital parameters Reference system Geocentric Regime Low Earth Perigee 266 kilometres ( 165 mi ) Apogee 271 kilometres ( 168 mi ) Inclination 40.3 Period 89.88 minutes Epoch 13 April 1981 John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen Space Shuttle program STS - 2 → STS - 1 ( Space Transportation System - 1 ) was the first orbital spaceflight of NASA 's Space Shuttle program. The first orbiter, Columbia, launched on 12 April 1981 and returned on 14 April, 54.5 hours later, having orbited the Earth 37 times. Columbia carried a crew of two -- mission commander John W. Young and pilot Robert L. Crippen. It was the first American manned space flight since the Apollo - Soyuz Test Project in 1975. STS - 1 was also the only maiden test flight of a new US spacecraft to carry a crew, though it was preceded by atmospheric testing of the orbiter and ground testing of the space shuttle system. The launch occurred on the 20th anniversary of the first - ever human spaceflight. This was a coincidence rather than a celebration of the anniversary ; a technical problem had prevented STS - 1 from launching two days earlier, as was planned. Contents 1 Crew 1.1 Backup crew 1.2 Support crew 2 Mission parameters 3 Suborbital mission plan 4 Mission summary 4.1 Mission anomalies 5 Mission insignia 6 Anniversary 7 External tank 8 In popular culture 9 Wake - up calls 10 Pad fatalities 11 Gallery 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links Crew Position Astronaut Commander John W. Young Fifth spaceflight Pilot Robert L. Crippen First spaceflight Both Young and Crippen were selected as the STS - 1 crew in March 1978. Young was the most experienced astronaut in NASA at the time and was also the only member of his astronaut class in service. He had first flown in 1965 as pilot of Gemini 3, the first manned flight of the Gemini program, and would later command Gemini 10 in 1966. After the conclusion of the Gemini program, Young flew as command module pilot of Apollo 10 in 1969 and walked on the Moon as commander of Apollo 16 in 1972. He later became Chief of the Astronaut Office in 1974. Crippen, who had joined NASA in 1969 after the cancellation of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory, was a rookie and would become the first of his astronaut group to fly in space. Prior to his selection on STS - 1, Crippen participated in the Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test and also served as a capsule communicator for all three Skylab missions and the Apollo - Soyuz Test Project. Columbia was manifested with EMUs for both Young and Crippen in the event of an emergency spacewalk. If such an event occurred, Crippen would go outside the orbiter, with Young standing by in case Crippen required assistance. Backup crew Position Astronaut Commander Joe H. Engle Pilot Richard H. Truly Support crew Daniel C. Brandenstein ( ascent CAPCOM ) Henry W. Hartsfield Joseph P. Allen ( entry CAPCOM ) Mission parameters Mass : Orbiter liftoff : 219,256 lb ( 99,453 kg ) Orbiter landing : 195,466 lb ( 88,662 kg ) DFI payload : 10,822 lb ( 4,909 kg ) Perigee : 149 mi ( 240 km ) Apogee : 156 mi ( 251 km ) Inclination : 40.3 ° Orbital period : 89.4 min Suborbital mission Plan During the original planning stages for the early shuttle missions, NASA management felt a need to undertake initial tests of the system prior to the first orbital flight. To that end, they suggested that STS - 1, instead of being an orbital flight, be used to test the Return To Launch Site ( RTLS ) abort scenario. This involved an abort being called in the first few moments after launch, and using its main engines, once the SRBs had been jettisoned, to power it back to the launch site. This scenario, while potentially necessary in the event of an early abort being called, was seen as being extremely dangerous and, as a consequence, John Young overruled the proposal, and STS - 1 went ahead as the first orbital mission. The NASA managers were swayed by Young questioning the need for the test, and the weight of his opinion was strong especially as someone who not only been to the moon twice, but walked on it. He would go on the Shuttle again with STS - 9 mission, a ten - day flight in 1983 Let 's not practice Russian roulette, because you may have a loaded gun there. -- Shuttle Commander on testing Return To Launch Site Mission Summary The External Tank is released from the Space Shuttle The first launch of the Space Shuttle occurred on 12 April 1981, exactly 20 years after the first manned space flight, when the orbiter Columbia, with two crew members, astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, lifted off from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch took place at 7 a.m. EST. A launch attempt two days earlier was scrubbed because of a timing problem in one of Columbia 's general - purpose computers. Attempt Planned Result Turnaround Reason Decision point Weather go ( % ) Notes 1981 - 04 - 10 7 : 00 : 00 ! 10 Apr 1981, 7 : 00 : 00 am Scrubbed -- - Technical ( T - 18 ) Timing problem in one of Columbia 's general - purpose computers. A software patch was installed to correct. 1981 - 04 - 12 7 : 00 : 03 ! 12 Apr 1981, 7 : 00 : 03 am Success 2 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes Not only was this the first launch of the Space Shuttle, but it marked the first time that solid - fuel rockets were used for a NASA manned launch ( although all of the Mercury and Apollo astronauts had relied on a solid - fuel motor in their escape towers and Mercury capsules had a solid - fueled retrorocket pack ). STS - 1 was also the first U.S. manned space vehicle launched without an unmanned powered test flight. The STS - 1 orbiter, Columbia, also holds the record for the amount of time spent in the Orbiter Processing Facility ( OPF ) before launch -- 610 days, the time needed for the replacement of many of its heat shield tiles. The primary mission objectives of the maiden flight were to perform a general check out of the Space Shuttle system, accomplish a safe ascent into orbit and to return to Earth for a safe landing. The only payload carried on the mission was a Development Flight Instrumentation ( DFI ) package, which contained sensors and measuring devices to record the orbiter 's performance and the stresses that occurred during launch, ascent, orbital flight, descent and landing. All of these objectives were met successfully, and the orbiter 's spaceworthiness was verified. During the second day of the mission, the astronauts received a phone call from Vice President George H.W. Bush. President Ronald Reagan had originally intended to visit the Mission Control Center during the mission, but at the time was still recovering from an assassination attempt which had taken place two weeks before the launch ( in fact Reagan had only returned home to the White House the day prior to the launch ). Columbia reached an orbital altitude of 166 nautical miles ( 307 km ). The 37 - orbit, 1,074,567 - mile ( 1,729,348 km ) - long flight lasted 2 days, 6 hours, 20 minutes and 53 seconds. Landing occurred on Runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, at 10 : 21 am PST on 14 April 1981. Columbia was returned to Kennedy Space Center from California on 28 April atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Mission anomalies Play media STS - 1 touches down at Edwards Air Force Base STS - 1 crew in Space Shuttle Columbia 's cabin. This is view of training in 1980 in the Orbiter Processing Facility STS - 1 was the first test flight of what was, at the time, the most complex spacecraft ever built. Numerous anomalies were observed during and after the flight, owing to the many components and systems that could not otherwise be adequately tested. Notable anomalies included : Similar to the first Saturn V launch in 1967, NASA underestimated the amount of noise and vibration produced by the Shuttle. Shock waves from the SRB thrust were deflected up into the orbiter 's tail section, which could have caused structural or other damage. An improved water suppressant system was later installed in LC 39A to dampen vibrations. Pilot Crippen reported that, throughout the first stage of the launch up to SRB separation, he saw `` white stuff '' coming off the External Tank and splattering the windows, which was probably the white paint covering the ET 's thermal foam. The astronauts ' on - orbit visual inspection showed significant damage to the thermal protection tiles on the OMS / RCS pods at the orbiter 's aft end, and John Young reported that two tiles on the nose looked like someone had taken `` big bites out of them. '' The Air Force also photographed the orbiter using a KH - 11 KENNAN reconnaissance satellite. Due to the top secret nature of the satellite, only a small number of NASA personnel were aware of this, and they had arranged for the photography prior to the launch as a precaution to make sure no damage had been done to the thermal tiles on the underside of the orbiter, as there had never been a flight of a manned spacecraft before where the heat shield was exposed to the vacuum of space for the entire duration of the mission. Young and Crippen were instructed to perform maneuvers with the RCS thrusters to align Columbia so that the KH - 11 could photograph it, but were not informed of the reason for them. Aligning the shuttle 's low Earth orbit with the KH - 11 's polar orbit was a somewhat tricky move, and launch on April 12 took place a few hours later than planned due to the need to get the KH - 11 into correct orientation for imaging the shuttle. Images obtained confirmed that damage to Columbia was not serious. Post-flight inspection of Columbia confirmed that approximately 16 undensified tiles near the OMS pod had been lost during ascent. Columbia 's aerodynamics at high Mach numbers during reentry were found to differ significantly in some respects from those estimated in pre-flight testing. A misprediction of the location of the center of pressure ( due to using an ideal gas model instead of a real gas model ) caused the computer to have to extend the body flap by sixteen degrees rather than the expected eight or nine, and side - slip during the first bank reversal maneuver was twice as high as predicted. The orbiter 's heat shield was damaged when an overpressure wave from the solid rocket booster caused a forward RCS oxidizer strut to fail. The same overpressure wave also forced the shuttle 's `` body flap '' -- an extension on the orbiter 's underbelly that helps to control pitch during reentry -- into an angle well beyond the point where cracking or rupture of its hydraulic system would have been expected. Such damage would have made a controlled descent impossible, with John Young later admitting that had the crew known about this, they would have flown the shuttle up to a safe altitude and ejected, causing Columbia to have been lost on the first flight. The strike plate next to the forward latch of Columbia 's external tank door was melted and distorted due to excess heat exposure during reentry. This heat was attributed to an improperly installed tile adjacent to the plate. During remarks at a 2003 gathering, John Young stated that a protruding tile gap filler ducted hot gas into the right main landing gear well, which caused significant damage, including the buckling of the landing gear door. He said that neither he nor Crippen were told about this incident and he was not aware that it had happened until reading the postflight mission report for STS - 1, also adding that the gas leak was noted in the report, but not the buckling of the landing door. ( The buckling of the door is in fact in the anomaly report, anomaly STS - 1 - V - 49. ) Despite these problems, the STS - 1 mission was completed successfully, and in most respects Columbia performed optimally. After some modifications to the shuttle and to the launch and reentry procedures, Columbia flew the next four Shuttle missions. Mission insignia The artwork for the official mission insignia was designed by artist Robert McCall. It is a symbolic representation of the shuttle. The image does not depict the black wing roots present on the actual shuttle. Anniversary The plaque of the Young - Crippen Firing Room in the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center. The ultimate launch date of STS - 1 fell on the 20th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin 's Vostok 1, the first spaceflight to carry a human crew. In 2001, Yuri 's Night was established to celebrate both events. In a tribute to the 25th anniversary of the first flight of Space Shuttle, Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center -- which launched STS - 1 -- was renamed the Young - Crippen Firing Room. NASA described the mission as `` the boldest test flight in history ''. External tank STS - 1 and STS - 2 were the only two shuttle flights to have the External Tank ( ET ) painted white. To reduce the shuttle 's overall weight, all flights from STS - 3 onward used an unpainted tank. The use of an unpainted tank provided a weight saving of approximately 272 kilograms ( 600 lb ), and gave the ET the distinctive orange color which later became associated with the Space Shuttle. In popular culture The song `` Countdown '', by Rush, from the 1982 album Signals, was written about STS - 1 and the inaugural flight of Columbia. The song was `` dedicated with thanks to astronauts Young and Crippen and all the people of NASA for their inspiration and cooperation ''. IMAX cameras filmed the launch, landing, and mission control during the flight, for a film entitled Hail Columbia !, which debuted in 1982 and later became available on DVD. The title of the film comes from the pre-1930s unofficial American national anthem, Hail, Columbia. Wake - up Calls NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Gemini program, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. A special musical track is chosen for each day in space, often by the astronauts ' families, to have a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or in reference to the day 's planned activities. Flight Day Song Artist / Composer Day 2 `` Blast - Off Columbia '' Written by Jerry W. Rucker, a NASA shuttle technician ; sung by Roy McCall Day 3 `` Reveille '' Houston DJs Hudson and Harrigan Pad Fatalities `` I think it is only right that we mention a couple of guys that gave their lives a few weeks ago in our countdown demonstration test : John Bjornstad and Forrest Cole. They believed in the space program, and it meant a lot to them. I am sure they would be thrilled to see where we have the vehicle now. '' STS - 1 Commander John Young, tribute given in - orbit to the victims of the accident. An accident occurred on March 19, 1981 that led to the deaths of three people. During a countdown test for STS - 1, a pure nitrogen atmosphere was introduced in the aft engine compartment of Columbia to reduce the danger of an explosion from the many other potentially dangerous gases on board the orbiter. At the conclusion of the test, pad workers were given clearance to return to work on the orbiter, even though the nitrogen had not yet been purged due to a recent procedure change. Three technicians, John Bjornstand, Forrest Cole, and Nick Mullon, entered the compartment without air packs, unaware of the danger since nitrogen gas is odorless and colorless, and lost consciousnesses due to lack of oxygen. Several minutes later, another worker saw them and tried to help, but passed out himself. The fourth did not alert anyone, but was himself seen by two other people. Of those two, one alerted a security guard and another went to help the unconscious group. The security guard entered the compartment with an air pack and removed the five men from the compartment. Security procedures delayed ambulances from arriving on the scene by several minutes. Bjornstad died at the scene ; Cole died two weeks later without ever regaining consciousness, and Mullon suffered permanent brain damage and died 14 years later from complications of his injuries. These were the first launchpad deaths at Canaveral since the Apollo 1 fire, which claimed the lives of three astronauts during preparations for the manned moon landing missions. The incident did not delay the launch of STS - 1 less than a month later, but the commander of that mission gave an on - orbit tribute to Bjornstad and Cole. A three - month inquiry determined a combination of a recent change in safety procedures and a miscommunication during the operations were the cause of the accident. A report called LC - 39A Mishap Investigation Board Final Report was released with the findings. The names of John Bjornstad, Forrest Cole and Nicholas Mullon are engraved on a monument at the US Space Walk of Fame in Florida. Further information : List of spaceflight - related accidents and incidents § Other non-astronaut fatalities Gallery Columbia 's arrival at Complex 39A, December 29, 1980. Arrival at Complex 39A. Columbia at Launch Pad A, Complex 39, April 12, 1981. Commander John Young ( right ) and Pilot Robert Crippen ( left ) suit up for launch, April 12, 1981. The launch of STS - 1. Columbia lifts off at the beginning of STS - 1. Columbia 's cargo bay and aft section, April 12, 1981. Columbia landing on Rogers dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, April 14, 1981. Columbia after its successful landing. An overall view of the mission operations control room during Columbia 's landing phase. Columbia, mated to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, arrives at Kennedy Space Center after STS - 1 to be prepared for its next mission. See also Spaceflight portal List of human spaceflights List of Space Shuttle missions Space Shuttle Columbia disaster References This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Jump up ^ `` STS - 1 Press Kit '' ( PDF ). NASA. 1981. p. 36. Retrieved 28 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : STS - 1 Transcript. Internet Archive. Retrieved 19 October 2012. ^ Jump up to : Dunn, Terry ( 26 February 2014 ). `` The Space Shuttle 's Controversial Launch Abort Plan ''. Tested. Retrieved 31 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Space Shuttle Mission Summary '' ( PDF ). NASA Johnson Space Center. Jump up ^ `` STS - 1 Overview ''. NASA. Retrieved 22 August 2010. Jump up ^ `` FAQ : Why do you drop water under the shuttle as the engines start ? ''. NASA. 5 January 1999. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. ^ Jump up to : STS - 1 Technical Crew Debriefing, page 4 - 4 Jump up ^ http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3219/1 Jump up ^ King, James R. ( 13 April 1981 ). `` NASA says missing tiles no threat to shuttle ''. The Madison Courier. Associated Press. Retrieved 22 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` STS - 1 Anomaly Report '' ( PDF ). NASA. 27 February 2003. p. 5. Jump up ^ `` STS - 1 Anomaly Report '' ( PDF ). NASA. 27 February 2003. p. 27. Jump up ^ Iliff, Kenneth ; Shafer, Mary ( June 1993 ). `` Space Shuttle Hypersonic Aerodynamic and Aerothermodynamic Flight Research and the Comparison to Ground Test Results '' ( PDF ). Google Docs. pp. 5 -- 6. Retrieved 16 February 2013. Jump up ^ `` STS - 1 Anomaly Report '' ( PDF ). NASA. 27 February 2003. p. 39. Jump up ^ `` STS - 1 Anomaly Report '' ( PDF ). NASA. 27 February 2003. p. 19. Jump up ^ Jeff Foust ( 14 April 2003 ). `` John Young 's shuttle secret ''. Space Review. Retrieved 22 August 2010. Jump up ^ STS - 1 In - Flight Anomaly report. NASA. p. 33. Retrieved 16 February 2013. Jump up ^ `` STS - 1 Press Kit '' ( PDF ). NASA. 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 30 July 2016. Jump up ^ `` NASA -- STS - 1 ''. Nasa.gov. Retrieved 12 August 2010. Jump up ^ NASA. `` NASA Takes Delivery of 100th Space Shuttle External Tank. '' Press release. p. 99 -- 193. 16 August 1999. Retrieved 17 July 2013. Jump up ^ `` 25 years later, JSC remembers shuttle 's first flight ''. JSC Features. Johnson Spaceflight Center. 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2010. Jump up ^ Fries, Colin ( 25 June 2007 ). `` Chronology of Wakeup Calls '' ( PDF ). NASA. Retrieved 13 August 2007. Jump up ^ `` Chronology of Wakeup Calls '' ( PDF ). NASA. May 13, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Burlison, Terry. `` Columbia 's First Victims ''. www.baen.com. Baen Books. Retrieved 27 January 2017. ^ Jump up to : Wilford, John Noble ( 1981 - 03 - 20 ). `` SHUTTLE PASSES TEST ; A WORKER IS KILLED ''. The New York Times. ISSN 0362 - 4331. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 10. ^ Jump up to : Long, Tony ( 19 March 2009 ). `` March 19, 1981 : Shuttle Columbia 's First Fatalities ''. WIRED. Retrieved 27 January 2017. ^ Jump up to : White, Rowland ; Truly, Richard ( 2016 - 04 - 19 ). Into the Black : The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781501123627. Jump up ^ NASA -- 1981 KSC Chronology Part 1 -- pages 84, 85, 100 ; Part 2 -- pages 181, 194, 195, Archived 5 June 2001 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Sam Kean, The Disappearing Spoon ( 2010 ), p. 188 Jump up ^ `` One Dead In Shuttle Accident '', Spartanburg, SC -- Herald - Journal Newspaper, Mar 20, 1981 Jump up ^ `` Space shuttle worker dies in fall at launch pad '', MSNBC.com -- 3rd paragraph from bottom of article., 3 / 14 / 2011 Further reading Young, John W. ; Crippen, Robert L. ( October 1981 ). `` Columbia 's Astronauts ' Own Story : Our Phenomenal First Flight ''. National Geographic. Vol. 160 no. 4. pp. 478 -- 503. ISSN 0027 - 9358. OCLC 643483454. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to STS - 1. STS - 1 video highlights. NSS. NBC News coverage of launch of STS - 1. Hail Columbia ! on IMDb. Space Shuttle Columbia ( OV - 102 ) Flights STS - 1 STS - 2 STS - 3 STS - 4 STS - 5 STS - 9 STS - 61 - C STS - 28 STS - 32 STS - 35 STS - 40 STS - 50 STS - 52 STS - 55 STS - 58 STS - 62 STS - 65 STS - 73 STS - 75 STS - 78 STS - 80 STS - 83 STS - 94 STS - 87 STS - 90 STS - 93 STS - 109 STS - 107 Status Out of service : destroyed 1 February 2003 ( STS - 107 ) See also Columbia Accident Investigation Board STS - 61 - E STS - 61 - H STS - 144 U.S. Space Shuttle missions Completed 1970 -- 79 1977 ALT 1980 -- 89 1981 STS - 1 STS - 2 1982 STS - 3 STS - 4 STS - 5 STS - 6 STS - 7 STS - 8 STS - 9 1984 STS - 41 - B STS - 41 - C STS - 41 - D STS - 41 - G STS - 51 - A 1985 STS - 51 - C STS - 51 - D STS - 51 - B STS - 51 - G STS - 51 - F STS - 51 - I STS - 51 - J STS - 61 - A STS - 61 - B 1986 STS - 61 - C STS - 51 - L STS - 26 STS - 27 STS - 29 STS - 30 STS - 28 STS - 34 STS - 33 1990 -- 99 STS - 32 STS - 36 STS - 31 STS - 41 STS - 38 STS - 35 1991 STS - 37 STS - 39 STS - 40 STS - 43 STS - 48 STS - 44 STS - 42 STS - 45 STS - 49 STS - 50 STS - 46 STS - 47 STS - 52 STS - 53 STS - 54 STS - 56 STS - 55 STS - 57 STS - 51 STS - 58 STS - 61 STS - 60 STS - 62 STS - 59 STS - 65 STS - 64 STS - 68 STS - 66 1995 STS - 63 STS - 67 STS - 71 STS - 70 STS - 69 STS - 73 STS - 74 STS - 72 STS - 75 STS - 76 STS - 77 STS - 78 STS - 79 STS - 80 STS - 81 STS - 82 STS - 83 STS - 84 STS - 94 STS - 85 STS - 86 STS - 87 1998 STS - 89 STS - 90 STS - 91 STS - 95 STS - 88 1999 STS - 96 STS - 93 STS - 103 2000 -- 09 2000 STS - 99 STS - 101 STS - 106 STS - 92 STS - 97 STS - 98 STS - 102 STS - 100 STS - 104 STS - 105 STS - 108 2002 STS - 109 STS - 110 STS - 111 STS - 112 STS - 113 2003 STS - 107 2005 STS - 114 2006 STS - 121 STS - 115 STS - 116 2007 STS - 117 STS - 118 STS - 120 2008 STS - 122 STS - 123 STS - 124 STS - 126 2009 STS - 119 STS - 125 STS - 127 STS - 128 STS - 129 2010 -- 11 STS - 130 STS - 131 STS - 132 2011 STS - 133 STS - 134 STS - 135 Cancelled STS - 41 - F STS - 61 - E STS - 61 - F STS - 61 - G STS - 62 - A STS - 61 - M STS - 61 - H STS - 144 STS - 3xx STS - 400 Others Orbiters Enterprise Columbia Challenger Discovery Atlantis Endeavour ← 1980 Orbital launches in 1981 1982 → Kosmos 1237 Molniya - 3 No. 25 Kosmos 1238 Kosmos 1239 Kosmos 1240 Kosmos 1241 Musson No. 11 Progress 12 Kosmos 1242 Molniya 1 - 49 Kosmos 1243 Interkosmos 21 Kiku 3 Kosmos 1244 Kosmos 1245 Kosmos 1246 Kosmos 1247 Hinotori Comstar D4 OPS 1166 Kosmos 1248 Kosmos 1249 Kosmos 1250 Kosmos 1251 Kosmos 1252 Kosmos 1253 Kosmos 1254 Kosmos 1255 Kosmos 1256 Kosmos 1257 Soyuz T - 4 Kosmos 1258 OPS 7350 Kosmos 1259 Gran ' No. 18L Kosmos 1260 Soyuz 39 Molniya - 3 No. 24 Yantar - 2K No. 979 Kosmos 1261 Kosmos 1262 Kosmos 1263 STS - 1 Kosmos 1264 Kosmos 1265 Kosmos 1266 OPS 7225 Kosmos 1267 Kosmos 1268 Kosmos 1269 Soyuz 40 Meteor - 2 No. 8 Nova - 1 Kosmos 1270 Kosmos 1271 Kosmos 1272 Kosmos 1273 GOES 5 Intelsat V F - 1 Rohini RS - D1 Kosmos 1274 Kosmos 1275 Molniya - 3 No. 30 Kosmos 1276 Kosmos 1277 Meteosat 2 APPLE CAT - 3 Kosmos 1278 NOAA - 7 Molniya 1 - 50 Ekran No. 21L Kosmos 1279 Kosmos 1280 Kosmos 1281 Meteor - Priroda 2 - 4 Iskra 1 Kosmos 1282 Kosmos 1283 Kosmos 1284 Gran ' No. 19L DE-1 DE-2 Kosmos 1285 Kosmos 1286 FLTSATCOM 5 Kosmos 1287 Kosmos 1288 Kosmos 1289 Kosmos 1290 Kosmos 1291 Kosmos 1292 Kosmos 1293 Kosmos 1294 Bulgaria 1300 Himawari 2 Kosmos 1295 Kosmos 1296 Kosmos 1297 Kosmos 1298 Kosmos 1299 Kosmos 1300 Kosmos 1301 Kosmos 1302 OPS 3984 Kosmos 1303 Kosmos 1304 Kosmos 1305 Kosmos 1306 Kosmos 1307 Kosmos 1308 Kosmos 1309 Shijian 2 Shijian 2 - 01 Shijian 2 - 02 Oreol 3 Kosmos 1310 SBS 2 Kosmos 1311 Kosmos 1312 Kosmos 1313 SME UoSAT - 1 Kosmos 1314 Gran ' No. 20L Kosmos 1315 Kosmos 1316 Molniya - 3 No. 31 Venera 13 OPS 4029 Kosmos 1317 Kosmos 1318 Venera 14 STS - 2 Kosmos 1319 Molniya 1 - 51 Satcom 3R Bhaskara 2 Kosmos 1320 Kosmos 1321 Kosmos 1322 Kosmos 1323 Kosmos 1324 Kosmos 1325 Kosmos 1326 Kosmos 1327 Kosmos 1328 Kosmos 1329 Intelsat V F - 3 RS - 3 RS - 4 RS - 5 RS - 6 RS - 7 RS - 8 Navstar 7 Kosmos 1330 MARECS - 1 CAT - 4 Molniya - 1 No. 55 Payloads are separated by bullets ( ), launches by pipes ( ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in ( brackets ). Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=STS-1&oldid=806990741 '' Categories : Space Shuttle missions Edwards Air Force Base Spacecraft launched in 1981 1981 in Florida Spacecraft which reentered in 1981 First events April 1981 events 1981 in California Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from May 2011 Wikipedia articles incorporating text from NASA Use American English from January 2014 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bân - lâm - gú Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Yorùbá 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 25 October 2017, at 08 : 00. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: when was the first us space shuttle launched
Answer: 12 April 1981