STS-1

STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the first spaceflight of orbiter Columbia. John Young commanded the mission with Robert Crippen as pilot, launching from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A on April 12, 1981. The flight tested Columbia's ascent, on-orbit systems, payload-bay doors, thermal protection, flight-control behavior, reentry, and runway landing profile. Columbia landed at Edwards Air Force Base on April 14 after two days in orbit, proving that the reusable Shuttle orbiter could complete an orbital mission and return to a runway.