STS-1

STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, launched on April 12, 1981—exactly 20 years after the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin. Crewed by Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen, the mission used the orbiter Columbia and marked the first time a new spacecraft was flown with a crew on its maiden voyage. The two-day mission tested the shuttle's systems, including its unique thermal protection tiles and its ability to land as a glider at Edwards Air Force Base. STS-1's success inaugurated a new era of reusable space transportation, enabling a wide range of scientific, military, and commercial missions over the next three decades of the Space Shuttle program.