The first launch of the space shuttle on April 12, 1981, became an iconic moment for NASA and for the nation. 14, 1980, embarking on a flight to study our sun during the peak of the solar cycle. The Solar Maximum Mission, or "SolarMax," was lofted into space by a Delta rocket Feb. But at the same time, teams at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station were preparing for the spaceport's first NASA launch of the decade. So it was obvious that it was a big deal," Crippen said.Īs 1980 began, work already was well under way readying Columbia for the STS-1 mission, still months away. "It was truly a morale booster for the United States, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was welcomed by what I would call our allies abroad. "Before we did STS-1, there had been some, I guess, things going on in the (United) States that - the morale of the United States, I don't think, was very high," recalled Crippen, who later served as director of Kennedy.
During this decade, the Kennedy team launched 32 flights of the space shuttle, then known as the Space Transportation System (STS).Ĭommander John Young and Pilot Bob Crippen flew aboard Columbia on the Space Shuttle Program's first mission, STS-1. Kennedy was tasked with the vital role of maintaining the "processing flow" - refurbishing and preparing each vehicle between flights, launching it safely, ensuring the safety of orbiter and crew after landing, and returning it to Kennedy's orbiter processing facility to begin the process again. Instead of moving relatively quickly from one human spaceflight program to another, as in the fast-paced 1960s and 1970s, the spaceport's workforce and facilities now were geared toward preparing and launching a revolutionary new spacecraft that would further advance our capabilities in orbit: the space shuttle. Image credit: NASA › View larger imageĭuring the 1980s, Kennedy Space Center made a critical shift in focus. Image above: Space shuttle Challenger makes a surrealistic impression as it moves through the fog on its way down the 3.5-mile crawlerway en route to Launch Pad 39A on Nov. Image above: The STS-1 space shuttle team celebrates a successful liftoff of Columbia from Launch Pad 39A a few seconds past 7 a.m. Image above: Astronauts Bob Crippen, left, and John Young board the emergency pad escape system known as the "slidewire" on Jan. Image above: Liftoff of the Delta rocket carrying NASA's Solar Maximum Mission on Feb.
Image above: Space shuttle Columbia sits on Launch Pad 39A on March 5, 1981, before its maiden flight on STS-1.
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