CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Commander Vance Brand and Pilot Robert 'Hoot' Gibson guide the space shuttle orbiter Challenger to the first-ever landing of a returning spaceship at Kennedy Space Center. The historic touchdown occurred at 7:15:55 a.m. EST Feb. 11, 1984 -- about five miles from Launch Pad 39A where the 41B mission began eight days earlier. Also aboard the tenth space shuttle flight were Mission Specialists Bruce McCandless II, Ronald McNair and Robert Stewart. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Shortly after sunrise the space shuttle orbiter Challenger touches down on the KSC runway at 7:16 a.m. The T-38 escort chase plane is seen just above the orbiter. The historic first landing at KSC brought to a conclusion an eight-day mission that started at 8:00 a.m. Feb. 3, 1984. The STS 41-B mission had several other firsts including an un-tethered spacewalk made by two of the astronauts. The Vehicle Assembly Building can be seen in the right side of the photograph. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Commander Vance Brand and Pilot Robert 'Hoot' Gibson guide spaceship Challenger to the first-ever landing at Kennedy Space Center. The historic touchdown occurred at 7:15:55 a.m. EST, Feb. 11, 1984. Also aboard were Mission Specialists Bruce McCandless II, Ronald McNair and Robert Stewart. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Ground crew members perform initial post-landing procedures on orbiter Challenger as the the crew, the first-ever to experience both launch and landing at KSC, prepare to exit the spaceship. Touchdown was at 7:15:55 a.m. EST on Feb. 11. Crew members for the historic Mission 41-B STS-11 are Commander Vance D. Brand, Pilot Robert L.'Hoot' Gibson, and Mission Specialists Bruce McCandless II, Robert L. Stewart and Ronald E. McNair. Photo credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The crew of 41B STS-11, the first spaceflight in history to begin and conclude a mission at the same site, leave the flight deck of orbiter Challenger to be greeted by George Abbey, director of Flight Crew Operations. In ascending order, the crew members are Vance Brand, mission commander mission Pilot Robert L.'Hoot' Gibson and Mission Specialists Robert L. Stewart, Ronald E. McNair and Bruce McCandless II. Challenger touched down at 7:15:55 a.m. EST on Feb. 11, rolling 10,700 feet before coming to a stop on the Kennedy Space Center's 15,000-foot-long runway. Photo credit: NASA