S81-39511 (14 Nov. 1981) --- The successful STS-2 landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California was cause for celebration in the Johnson Space Center?s Mission Control Center shortly before 3:30 p.m. (CST) on Nov. 14, 1981. JSC Director Christopher C. Kraft Jr. (center), not only applauds but enjoys a traditional ?touchdown? cigar, as well. Eugene F. Kranz (left), deputy director of flight operations at JSC, and Thomas L. Moser of the structures and mechanics division join the celebration. The second flight of the space shuttle Columbia lasted two days, six hours, 13 minutes and a few seconds. Photo credit: NASA

Range : 1.2 million km. ( 740,000 miles ) P-23954C Voyager 2 obtained this color image of Saturn's F-ring and its small inner sheparding satellite (1990S27) against the full disk of the planet. TheA-ring and the Encke Gap appear in the lower left corner. This view shows that the shepard is more refective than Sturn's clouds, suggesting that it is an icy, bright surfaced object like the larger satellites and the ring particles themselves.

S81-33467 ( July 1981) --- Astronaut Claude Nicollier, mission specialist. EDITOR'S NOTE: Nicollier is a Swiss scientist, representing the European Space Agency (ESA). He began training at the NASA - Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1980.

S81-39564 (14 Nov. 1981) --- This view of the space shuttle Columbia (STS-2) was made with a hand-held 70mm camera in the rear station of the T-38 chase plane. Mission specialist/astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan exposed the frame as astronauts Joe N. Engle and Richard H. Truly aboard the Columbia guided the vehicle to an unpowered but smooth landing on the desert area of Edwards Air Force base in California. The picture provides a good view of the underside of the returning spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA

Space Shuttle Columbia Launch at NASA KSC (Kennedy Space Center) Ref: 108-KSC-81PC-382

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle prime crew members Robert Crippen, left, pilot, and John Young, center, commander, along with backup crewman Richard Truly, study forecasts of weather conditions for launch of the maiden flight of STS-1, America’s first reusable space transportation system.

Composite of Marshall Space Flight Center's Low-Gravity Free Fall Facilities.These facilities include a 100-meter drop tower and a 100-meter drop tube. The drop tower simulates in-flight microgravity conditions for up to 4.2 seconds for containerless processing experiments, immiscible fluids and materials research, pre-flight hardware design test and flight experiment simulation. The drop tube simulates in-flight microgravity conditions for up to 4.6 seconds and is used extensively for ground-based microgravity convection research in which extremely small samples are studied. The facility can provide deep undercooling for containerless processing experiments that require materials to remain in a liquid phase when cooled below the normal solidification temperature.

The 122 foot tall Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia mated to its external fuel container (ET) and two solid rocket boosters (SRB) lifts off from Launch Pad 39A for the begining of STS-2.

This photograph shows engineers inspecting the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's) Primary Mirror at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation's large optics fabrication facility. After the 8-foot diameter mirror was ground to shape and polished, the glass surface was coated with a reflective layer of aluminum and a protective layer of magnesium fluoride, 0.1- and 0.025- micrometers thick, respectively. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST and the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors.

Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, right, is greeted by wife Virginia following landing of mission STS-1. Behind Mrs. Crippon is George W.S. Abbey, Director of Flight Operations at JSC (30850); Astronaut John W. Young, right, and Robert L. Crippen, center, are greeted by wives Susy and Virginia after completing STS-1 mission. Near left is George W. S. Abbey (30851).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Shuttle Columbia, undergoing final preparations for launch at Pad 39A, is reflected in the waters of the nearby ocean lagoon. The Rotating Service Structure is in the retracted position for launch.

FIRST SHUTTLE LANDING -- The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981.

ER-2 (NASA-706) in flight. (Lockheed C81-1197-13)

Photograph by Pioneer Venus Venus image 0694

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shutle astronauts being briefed on the emergency pad escape system are (left to right) Loren Shriver (with hat), Prime Crew Pilot Bob Criippen and Commander John Young. The slidewire system provides a quick escape from upper launch pad platforms in case of a serious emergency. The flight crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment to be worn during a mission, but sandbags were used to duplicate the weight of riders in the slidewire baskets during the training.

S81-30744 (14 April 1981) --- The rear wheels of the space shuttle orbiter Columbia are about to touch down on Rogers Lake (a dry bed) at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California to successfully complete a stay in space of more than two days. Astronauts John W. Young, STS-1 commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, are aboard the vehicle. The mission marked the first NASA flight to end with a wheeled landing and represents the beginning of a new age of spaceflight that will employ the same hardware repeatedly. Photo credit: NASA

STS001-06-497 (12-14 April 1981) --- Astronaut John W. Young, STS-1 commander, opens one of the lockers in the space shuttle Columbia's middeck area. This photo was taken by astronaut Robert L. Crippen, pilot, using a 35mm camera. Photo credit: NASA

Electrochemistry Branch, Research Contributions to the NASA Mission at the Lewis Research Center

Documentary views of Space Shuttle Columbia on Lakebed Runway during De-Servicing, Crew Egress and departure from Orbiter at the end of STS-2 Mission. EAFB, CA Also available in 70 CN

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Robert Crippen, left, relaxed despite the 'scrub' of the Space Shuttle launch on April 10, is joined at the Shuttle Landing Facility on April 11 by (from left) George Abbey, flight operations director; Joseph Algrantic, chief of Aircraft OPERATIONS Division, both with Johnson Space Center; and astronaut Joe Engle. Crippen and Young spent part of the day between the 'scrub' and the successful launch on April 12 in Shuttle landing practice, using a specially modified Grumman Airstream jet aircraft.

Range : 12.9 million km. ( 8.0 million miles ) P-29467B/W Time lapse Voyager 2 images of Uranus show the movement of two small, bright, streaky clouds, the first such features ever seen on the planet. The clouds were detected in this series of orange filtered images, over a 4.6 hour interval ( from top to bottom ). Uranus, which is tipped on its side with respect to the other planets, is rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, with its pole of rotation near the center of the disk, as are the two clouds seen here as bright streaks. The larger of the two clouds is ata lattitude of 33 degrees. The smaller cloud, seen faintly in the three lower images, lies at 26 degrees ( a lower alttitude and hence closer to the limb). Their counterclockwise periods of rotation are 16.2 and 16.9 hours, respectively. This difference implies that the lower lattitude feature is lagging behind the higher latitude feture at a speed of almost 100 meters pers second (220 mph). Latitudinal bands are also visible in these images, the faint bands, more numerous now then in previous Voyager images from longer range, are concentric with the pole rotation. thatis, they circle the planet in lines of contant latitude.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Pilot Robert Crippen watches intently as a technician adjusts the lens of his space suit, while Crew Commander John Young's suit is connected to life support system lines, during simulated countdown and launch. The two astronauts, prime crewmen for the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle scheduled no sooner than the week of April 5, are pictured in the suiting room of the Operations and Checkout Building at KSC prior to boarding their transport van for the trip to Launch Pad 39A.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson on vice presidential tour.

Pioneer-Venus Ocpp. Image 00194 Venus

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Fixed Service Structure on Launch Complex 39A, space shuttle astronauts being briefed on the slidewire emergency pad escape system are (left to right) prime crew Pilot Bob Crippen, backup crew member Richard Truly, prime crew Commander John Young and backup crew member Joe Engle. The slidewire system provides a quick escape from upper launch pad platforms in case of a serious emergency. The flight crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment to be worn during a mission, but sandbags were used to duplicate the weight of riders in the slidewire baskets during the training. The STS-1 mission, known as a shuttle systems test flight, will seek to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank. STS-1 will be launched from Pad A at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 no earlier than March 1981.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A smiling George Page, launch director for the historic maiden flight of space shuttle Columbia, waves a miniature American flag at the conclusion of a press conference following the successful launch on April 12. With Page is Hugh Harris, chief of the Public Information Branch, NASA Public Affairs, Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA

S81-33178 (12 April 1981) --- The two solid rocket boosters are jettisoned from the climbing space shuttle Columbia as a successful launch phase continues for NASA's first manned space mission since 1975. Astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen are aboard Columbia. Photo credit: NASA

S84-36146 (12 April 1981) --- This close-up television view captures the flames of the space shuttle Columbia’s three main engines just seconds before launch and the beginning of the STS-1 mission. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

S81-30502 (12 April 1981) --- Space shuttle Columbia’s aft orbiter section dominates the field of view in this fifth frame of a dramatic liftoff sequence photographed from the 275-foot level of the Fixed Service Structures on Pad 39A. The seven-frame sequence documenting the space shuttle’s historic launch on its maiden voyage was taken with a Nikon camera equipped with a 28mm lens and a 250 exposure back. The camera was protected in a fire box. Photo credit: NASA

Accident: X-14B crash on VTOL Pad Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Photo Credit: NASA Ames student photographer Jim Huss

S81-30985 (14 April 1981) --- Astronaut Robert L. Crippen (center), STS-1 pilot, addresses a large turnout of greeters at Ellington Air Force Base following the return of the Columbia's crew from the Dryden Flight Research Center and their Edwards Air Force Base landing site. Astronaut John W. Young, crew commander, stands near his wife Susy at right center. Crippen's wife Virginia and children are standing behind the Youngs on the platform. Others seen include Presidential aide Jim Baker, Houston mayor Jim McConn, NASA Administrator (acting) Alan M. Lovelace, John F. Yardley, associate administrator for space transportation systems; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., JSC director; flight directors Neil B. Hutchinson, Charles L. Lewis and Donald R. Puddy; Robert F. Thompson, manager of Space Shuttle Program office. Photo credit: NASA

Saturn and it's rings, with callouts, as photographed by Voyager 2

A Space Shuttle Main Engine undergoes test-firing at the National Space Technology Laboratories (now the Sternis Space Center) in Mississippi. The Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility of Space Shuttle propulsion elements, including the Main Engines.

Composite Art C-141 KAO Airborne Astronomy Composite shows A/C AC80-0006-2, Venus AC78-9140, Jupiter AC79-0143-1, Uranus AC77-0359, Console AC75-1345 and Telescope AC81-0299-17

In this photograph, the C-140 JetStar is fitted with a model of a high-speed propeller. Three different designs were tested at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility in 1981-1982. Their swept-back blades were intended to increase the speed and fuel efficiency of turboprop aircraft. Speeds of Mach 0.8 were thought possible, while using 20 to 30 percent less fuel than standard jet engines.

Pioneer Venus Occp. Image 00118 Venus

Spacelab was a versatile laboratory carried in the Space Shuttle's cargo bay for special research flights. Its various elements could be combined to accommodate the many types of scientific research that could best be performed in space. Spacelab consisted of an enclosed, pressurized laboratory module and open U-shaped pallets located at the rear of the laboratory module. The laboratory module contained utilities, computers, work benches, and instrument racks to conduct scientific experiments in astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and engineering. Equipment, such as telescopes, anternas, and sensors, was mounted on pallets for direct exposure to space. A 1-meter (3.3-ft.) diameter aluminum tunnel, resembling a z-shaped tube, connected the crew compartment (mid deck) to the module. The reusable Spacelab allowed scientists to bring experiment samples back to Earth for post-flight analysis. Spacelab was a cooperative venture of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. ESA was responsible for funding, developing, and building of Spacelab, while NASA was responsible for the launch and operational use of Spacelab. Spacelab missions were cooperative efforts between scientists and engineers from around the world. Teams from NASA centers, universities, private industry, government agencies and international space organizations designed the experiments. The Marshall Space Flight Center was NASA's lead center for monitoring the development of Spacelab and managing the program.

Air flow testing on aerodynamic truck

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle prime astronaut crew members Bob Crippen (left) and John Young (right) prepare for briefings on the use of the emergency pad escape system, known as the 'slidewire.' Both the prime and backup crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment they will wear during a mission. The slidewire system provides a quick and sure escape from the upper pad platforms in case of a serious emergency.

S81-29029 (March 1981) --- Astronaut Robert A. R. Parker, scientist.

Astronaut Joe H. Engle, STS-2 commander, practices donning and doffing his extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) in the weightless environment afforded aboard a KC-135 "zero-gravity" aircraft.

Space Shuttle Columbia Launch Preparation at NASA KSC (Kennedy Space Center) Ref: 108-KSC-81PC-455

This photograph shows the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's) Primary Mirror being polished at the the Perkin-Elmer Corporation's large optics fabrication facility. After the 8-foot diameter mirror was ground to shape and polished, the glass surface was coated with a reflective layer of aluminum and a protective layer of magnesium fluoride, 0.1- and 0.025-micrometers thick, respectively. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST and the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors.

KENNEDY SPACE CENER, FLA. -- A timed exposure of the Space Shuttle at Launch Pad A, Complex 39, turns the space vehicle and support facilities into a night-time fantasy of light. To the left of the Shuttle are the fixed and the rotating service structures

S81-33399 (July 1981) --- Wubbo Ockels, ESA payload specialist

Pioneer Venus Occp. Image 00117 Venus

S81-30396 (12-14 April 1981) --- A vertical view of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas and part of the great Bahama Bank, as photographed with a 70mm handheld camera from the space shuttle Columbia in Earth orbit. The light blue of the Bahama Bank contrasts sharply with the darker blue of the deep ocean waters. Astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, took a series of Earth photos from inside the flight deck of the Columbia, which has windows on its top side, convenient for shooting photographs as the spacecraft flew ?upside down? above Earth. The mission frame ID number is STS001-12-322. Photo credit: NASA

S81-30843 (14 April 1981) --- Astronaut John W. Young, STS-1 commander, egresses the space shuttle orbiter Columbia following her successful landing on Rogers dry lake bed on southern California?s Edwards Air Force Base. Approaching the crew member at right is Dr. Craig L. Fischer, head of the medical operations branch at Johnson Space Center. Still inside the spacecraft is Robert L. Crippen, STS-1 pilot. Photo credit: NASA

Photograph by Pioneer Venus Venus image 0010

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia - riding piggyback atop a modified 747 jet called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft - arrives at Kennedy Space Center after a two-day journey from the Dryden Flight Research Center in California. Welcomed home by a crowd of KSC employees and their families and guests, Columbia touched down on the Shuttle Landing Facility at 11:23 a.m. Tuesday, two weeks after its return to Earth from the first Space Shuttle flight into space. The orbiter and SCA are seen here parked in front of the Mate_Demate Device, where the orbiter will be hoisted off the 747.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Columbia flies. Just seconds past the scheduled launch time of 7 a.m. on April 12, America's Space Transportation System becomes a fact, with the liftoff of the first Space Shuttle from Launch Pad 39A. The successful maiden flight of the new concept in space vehicles took astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into an Earth orbital mission scheduled to last for 54 hours, concluding with unpowered landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

This drawing illustrates the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's), Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS). The HST's two spectrographs, the GHRS and the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS), can detect a broader range of wavelengths than is possible from Earth because there is no atmosphere to absorb certain wavelengths. Scientists can determine the chemical composition, temperature, pressure, and turbulence of the stellar atmosphere producing the light, all from spectral data. The GHRS can detect fine details in the light from somewhat brighter objects but only ultraviolet light. Both spectrographs operate in essentially the same way. The incoming light passes through a small entrance aperture, then passes through filters and diffraction gratings, that work like prisms. The filter or grating used determines what range of wavelength will be examined and in what detail. Then the spectrograph detectors record the strength of each wavelength band and sends it back to Earth. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STS-1 Space Shuttle Team celebrates a successful liftoff of Columbia form Launch Pad 39A a few seconds past 7 a.m. The orbital mission is scheduled to last for 54 hours, ending with an unpowered landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The STS-1 mission, known as a shuttle systems test flight, will seek to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank.

STS-1 ONBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY - STS-1-7-0502: STS-1 Pilot Robert Crippen at lunch.

Cray 1S computer N-233A rm-190

S81-30749 (14 April 1981) --- This high angle view shows the scene at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California soon after the successful landing of the space shuttle orbiter Columbia to end STS-1. Service vehicles approach the spacecraft to perform evaluations for safety, egress preparedness, etc. Astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, are still inside the spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA

NASA Aircraft on ramp (Aerial view) Sides: (L) QSRA (R) C-8A AWJSRA - Back to Front: CV-990 (711) C-141 KAO, CV-990 (712) Galileo, T-38, YO-3A, Lear Jet, X-14, U-2, OH-6, CH-47, SH-3G, RSRA, AH-1G, XV-15, UH-1H

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking like the perfect staging for a science fiction movie, STS-1 is a dramatic companion for the Moon 'over its shoulder.' The Space Shuttle, comprised of the orbiter Columbia, the external tank and two solid rocket boosters, is pictured during final preparations for Flight Readiness Firing of the orbiter's main engines, a landmark test during launch preparations.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - One of the two solid rocket boosters used in the historic launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia on April 12, is dewatered and floats in its horizontal, or “log” mode for towing on April 13. Recovered at sea by specially designed ships UTC Liberty and UTC Freedom, and dewatered with special, self-powered nozzle plugs, the expended rocket casings are towed to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where they undergo high pressure cleaning to prepare them for reloading and reuse in future missions. STS-1, known as a shuttle systems test flight, seeks to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank.

S81-36331 (24 Aug. 1981) --- Astronauts Joe H. Engle, left, and Richard H. Truly pause before participating in the integrated test of the assembled space shuttle components scheduled for launch no earlier than Sept. 30, 1981. Moments later, Engle, STS-2 crew commander, and Truly, pilot, entered the cabin of the orbiter Columbia for a mission simulation. The shuttle integrated tests (SIT) are designed to check out every connection and signal path in the STS-2 vehicle composed of the orbiter, two solid rocket boosters (SRB) and an external fuel tank (ET) for Columbia?s main engines. Completion of the tests will clear the way for preparations for rollout to Pad A at Launch Complex 39, scheduled for the latter part of August or early September. Photo credit: NASA

S81-31308 (13 April 1981) --- The solid rocket booster recovery ship UTC Liberty heads for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after retrieving one of the two booster casings from the launch of Columbia, America?s first space shuttle in orbit. The vessel had been tied up overnight at the Trident Submarine Basin at Port Canaveral, from which point this photograph was made. The boosters and the parachutes that bring them to safe landings in the Atlantic east of NASA's Kennedy Space Center are recovered at sea, dewatered and towed to processing facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA

Artist: Ken Hodges Pioneer Galileo Probe descending into Jupiter's Atmosphere with parachute deployed, heat shield separation, while orbiter collects data from above (from JPL files - no reference nunber available)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Columbia flies. Just seconds past the scheduled launch time of 7 a.m. on April 12, America's Space Transportation System becomes a fact, with the liftoff of the first Space Shuttle from Launch Pad 39A. The successful maiden flight of the new concept in space vehicles took Astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into an Earth orbital mission scheduled to last 54 hours, concluding with unpowered landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Resolution : 1 km. ( .6 miles ) Region Shown : 100 km. ( 60 miles ) P-24068C This computer generated photograph was created from a cross-section of Saturn's rings as measured by Voyager 2 photopolarimeter's occulation of the star Delta Scorpii. The region shown is near the inner edge of the Encke Division in the outer part of A-ring. The waves seen at left become successively closer together nearer to the Encke Division. At right are four strands of the ringlet that lies within the Encke Division. Voyager 2's imaging system saw this structure as a single ringlet.

XV-15 Tilt Rotor Aricraft at lamore Naval Air Station

The XV-15 tilt rotor ships #1 and #2 parked on the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center ramp. The XV-15s, manufactured by Bell, were involved in limited research at Dryden in 1980 and 1981. The development of the XV-15 Tiltrotor research aircraft was initiated in 1973 with joint Army/NASA funding as a "proof of concept", or "technology demonstrator" program, with two aircraft being built by Bell Helicopter Textron (BHT) in 1977. The aircraft are powered by twin Lycoming T-53 turboshaft engines that are connected by a cross-shaft and drive three-bladed, 25 ft diameter metal rotors (the size extensively tested in a wind tunnel). The engines and main transmissions are located in wingtip nacelles to minimize the operational loads on the cross-shaft system and, with the rotors, tilt as a single unit. For takeoff, the proprotors and their engines are used in the straight-up position where the thrust is directed downward. The XV-15 then climbs vertically into the air like a helicopter. In this VTOL mode, the vehicle can lift off and hover for approximately one hour. Once off the ground, the XV-15 has the ability to fly in one of two different modes. It can fly as a helicopter, in the partially converted airplane mode. The XV-15 can also then convert from the helicopter mode to the airplane mode. This is accomplished by continuous rotation of the proprotors from the helicopter rotor position to the conventional airplane propeller position. During the ten to fifteen second conversion period, the aircraft speed increases and lift is transferred from the rotors to the wing. To land, the proprotors are rotated up to the helicopter rotor position and flown as a helicopter to a vertical landing.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space flight-suited Astronauts John Young, left, and Robert Crippen, accompanied by George Abbey, at far left, flight operations director, Johnson Space Center, walk from the Operations and Checkout Building to the transport van that will take them to Launch Pad 39A, for the first launch of the Space Shuttle at 7 a.m., April 12. At the rear door of the van is Charles Buckley, head of the security office, KSC. The STS-1 mission, known as a shuttle systems test flight, will seek to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank.

The new era in space flight began on April 12, 1981. That is when the first Space Shuttle mission (STS-1) was launched. The Marshall Space Flight Center developed the propulsion system for the Space Shuttle. This photograph depicts the launch of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia marned with two astronauts, John Young and Robert Crippen.

S82-31408 (May 1983) --- The Spacelab 2 emblem is a symbolic representation of the scientific objectives of the mission. The emblem is in the shape of a triangular shield with convexly curved edges. Across the top of a black out border are the words ?SPACELAB 2?. Within the black border is a sky blue border carryhing the words: ?ASTRONOMY?, ON TOP? ?PHYSICS?, on the left; and ?BIOLOGY?, on the right. Within the blue border is a schematic view of the sun, the earth, and the orbiter with Spacelab 2. The sun appears in the upper right background as a white disc surrounded by six concentric rings ranging grom bright yellow near the disc through yellow-red to a dark red out ring. A sector of the earth with blue ocean and a black portion of North America is in the upper left corner. The black and white Orbiter is seen from directly overhead in the foreground, the right side illuminated by the sun, the left side in shadow. Although the payload bay doors are not open, the Spacelab 2 payload is seen as if the doors were open. In black on white are seen the three pallets, and the separately mounted cosmic ray experiment at the aft end of the bay.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians assist Columbia's prime crew astronauts John Young (right) and Bob Crippen (left) during suit-up operations in the crew quarters of the Operations and Checkout Building a few hours before the scheduled liftoff of the Space Shuttle on its maiden flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Orbiter creeps toward the VAB during its tow from the OPF. Photo credit: NASA

S81-30420 (12-14 April 1981) --- Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, pilot for STS-1 takes advantage of zero-gravity to do some rare acrobatics on the middeck of the space shuttle Columbia in Earth orbit. This 35mm frame was exposed by astronaut John W. Young, flight crew commander. Photo credit: NASA

S81-34432 (July 1981) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, takes part in a suit donning and doffing exercise aboard a KC-135 "zero-gravity" aircraft. Mission specialist/astronaut William F. Fisher holds a mirror to assist Fullerton with hose and cable linkups to his suit. A special parabolic pattern flown by the KC-135 provides short durations of weightlessness. Fullerton's suit is an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), used by astronauts when leaving the shirt-sleeve environment of their shuttle orbiter to go outside and perform tasks in the vacuum of space. There are no such EVA plans on STS-3, but the crewmen are trained in this area in the event of a contingency. Photo credit: NASA

STS001-12-350 (12-14 April 1981) --- India and China, the Ladokh and Zaskar Ranges of the Great Himalaya are clearly etched by snow and shadow. A detailed view shows the glaciation process over a wide area. Photo credit: NASA

Pioneer Venus Occp. Image 00199 Venus

AD-1 (NASA 805) R.T. Jones during maiden visit to Ames.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The upper part of the space shuttle vehicle showing the "beanie cap" in place. Photo credit: NASA

S81-39431 (12 Nov. 1981) --- Eugene F. Kranz, left, and Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr. monitor data displayed on the FOD console in the mission operations control room (MOCR) in the Johnson Space Center?s mission control center following the successful launch of the Columbia, and the beginning of NASA?s second space shuttle mission. Dr. Kraft is director of the Johnson Space Center and Kranz is deputy director of the flight operations directorate (FOD) at JSC. Houston time for the launch was approximately 9:10 a.m., Nov 12, 1981. Photo credit: NASA

Space Shuttle Columbia Launch Preparation at NASA KSC (Kennedy Space Center) Ref: 108-KSC-81PC-98

Lockheed ER-2 (NASA-706) in flight

This photograph is a Voyager 2 image of one of the moons of Saturn.

This drawing illustrates Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's), Faint Object Camera (FOC). The FOC reflects light down one of two optical pathways. The light enters a detector after passing through filters or through devices that can block out light from bright objects. Light from bright objects is blocked out to enable the FOC to see background images. The detector intensifies the image, then records it much like a television camera. For faint objects, images can be built up over long exposure times. The total image is translated into digital data, transmitted to Earth, and then reconstructed. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Vice President George H. W. Bush, on a tour of KSC and Space Shuttle launch facilities, is interviewed at the Launch Complex 39 Press Site by Ben Aycrigg, anchorman for WDBO-TV News, Orlando.

(P-19180) Galileo Probe descending into Jupiters atmosphere (artwork)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Shuttle rises majestically above Launch Complex 39's Pad A on the first leg of its maiden journey into space. On board for the historic flight are astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen, scheduled to spend nearly 54 hours in space on this first shakedown test of America’s new reusable Space Transportation System (STS). The Sunday morning liftoff came a few seconds after 7 a.m. and marked the dawn of a new era in spaceflight.

S81-31913 (14 April 1981) --- This head-on photograph of NASA's space shuttle Columbia was taken during post-landing servicing on Rogers dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California. The STS-1 mission ended earlier today, two and one third days later and thousands of miles removed from Sunday's Florida launch setting. Astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, were Columbia's first crew. Photo credit: NASA

This drawing illustrates the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's), Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS). The HST's two spectrographs, the Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph and the FOS, can detect a broader range of wavelengths than is possible from the Earth because there is no atmosphere to absorb certain wavelengths. Scientists can determine the chemical composition, temperature, pressure, and turbulence of the stellar atmosphere producing the light, all from spectral data. The FOC can detect detail in very faint objects, such as those at great distances, and light ranging from ultraviolet to red spectral bands. Both spectrographs operate in essentially the same way. The incoming light passes through a small entrance aperture, then passes through filters and diffraction gratings, that work like prisms. The filter or grating used determines what range of wavelength will be examined and in what detail. Then the spectrograph detectors record the strength of each wavelength band and sends it back to Earth. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors.

DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER, CALIF. - Columbia returns to Earth after completing the first full test of the Space Transportation System (STS-1). The orbiter Columbia is seen here on the Rogers dry lake, Runway 23, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. From this aerial view, the orbiter Columbia is seen as it is being convoyed to a parking area. For this first flight, the Columbia was flown by Astronauts John Young, commander, and Robert Crippen, pilot. STS-1, known as a shuttle systems test flight, sought to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank.

The primary purpose of the Spacelab-3 mission was to conduct materials science experiments in a stable low-gravity environment. In addition, the crew did research in life sciences, fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, and astronomy. Spacelab-3 was equipped with several new mini-labs, special facilities that would be used repeatedly on future flights. Two elaborate crystal growth furnaces, a life support and housing facility for small animals, and two types of apparatus for the study of fluids were evaluated on their inaugural flight. The instruments requiring direct exposure to space were mounted outside in the open payload bay of the Shuttle. Spacelab represented the merger of science and marned spaceflight. It opened remarkable opportunities to push the frontiers of knowledge beyond the limits of research on Earth. Scientists in space performed experiments in close collaboration with their colleagues on the ground. On the Spacelab-3 mission, managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, this versatile laboratory entered routine operation service for the next two decades. Spacelab-3 (STS-51B mission) was launched aboard Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger on April 29, 1985.

TOUCHDOWN! -- The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission, April 14, 1981.

Portrait view of astronaut Jack Lousma in the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) at bldg 29 Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF). He is wearing the EMU minus the helmet.

STS001-06-481 (April 1981) --- Astronaut Robert L. Crippen, STS-1 pilot, is behind his station in the flight deck of Columbia. He has a spoon in his hand. The windows prominent in the scene are the ones through which a number of Earth scenes were photographed with a 70mm camera by the two astronauts. Clouds over water can be seen through them. Just inches away from the top windows, not quite so obvious at top of the frame (if held horizontally) are the two aft cabin windows through which the crew viewed the cargo bay and the aft end of the craft, including the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods. Astronaut John W. Young, commander, took this photo with a 35mm camera. Photo credit: NASA

Accident: X-14B crash on VTOL Pad Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Photo Credit: NASA Ames student photographer Jim Huss

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Pad A, Launch Complex 39, astronauts Joe Engle, left, and Richard Truly talk with technicians and inspect the Space Shuttle vehicle that will propel them into orbit later this fall.

The AD-1 aircraft with its wing swept. Visible are the twin jet engines that powered the aircraft and the fixed landing gear.

Portrait of Christine M. Darden

Pioneer Venus Occp. Image 00204 Venus

XV-15 Tilt Rotor Aricraft at lamore Naval Air Station

Photograph by Pioneer Venus Venus image 0664

S81-33963 (July 1981) --- Mission specialist/astronaut Sally K. Ride and Dale E. Moore of the flight control division?s electrical, mechanical and environmental systems branch take a special interest in a simulations session during which the remote manipulator system (RMS, a mechanized arm) takes a momentary spotlight. They are seated at the CAPCOM or capsule communicator console in the mission operations control room of JSC?s mission control center. Dr. Ride will converse with astronauts Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly during their STS-2 mission in space when the RMS will have its debut in the Columbia?s cargo bay. Astronaut James F. Buchli, serving in a CAPCOM capacity, is partially obscured behind Dr. Ride. Photo credit: NASA