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Aviation History
1981
1981 - 1159.PDF
FLIGHT International. 25 April 1981 1173 Shuttle makes the grade NASA finally launched its first Space Shuttle flight from the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC), Florida, at just after 07-00hr EDT on April 12. Commander John Young and pilot Robert Crippen successfully rode Orbiter Columbia into orbit, spent just over two days in space, and then made an almost per fect entry and landing at Edwards AFB, California. The era of the re usable rocket began exactly 20 years after Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth, but purely by coincidence—Nasa had planned to launch Shuttle on April 10. On that day, the launch was post poned because of improper communi cation between Columbia's four primary computers and the single backup (Flight, April 11, page 1102). Nasa's Johnson Space Centre near Houston, Texas, later traced the fault to a time-skew in the main com puters. It cured the problem by switching off all the computers, and then turning them back on. Launch day began just after 02-00hr EDT for Young and Crippen, who ate a traditional steak and eggs breakfast before suiting-up and leav ing for pad 39A. The crew entered Columbia's cockpit at around 04-40hr EDT and except for a minor problem with the connection of their suit air- supply, all went smoothly. Countdown continued uneventfully until 17min before lift-off (T-17min), the point at which the computer problem had showed up last time. But this time communication was good, and a cheer went up in the firing room and among spectators. Tension continued as the remain ing minutes ticked away, hardly any one daring to believe that this was really it. The launch announcer counted out the last few seconds— ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, and then the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) were lit, sending clouds of steam out of the flame trench. Seconds later the giant Solid The numbers in bold at the start of some paragraphs are mission elapsed time, beginning at lift-off. From right to left they represent seconds, minutes*, and hours. DAVID VELUPILLAI arts from trSnrtennedy lill Space Shuttle lifts off from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, at just after 07. OOhr EDT on April 12. The plume from Orbiter Columbia's three main engines is hardly visible against the glare of Solid Rocket Booster exhaust
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