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The space shuttle Columbia opened the American Space shuttle program with
its first start in April 1981. The Orbiter with the official name OV 102 was
christened Columbia on the name of the American sailing ship, the 1792 of
Boston ran out and the muzzle of the flux found out Columbia. In addition,
one of the first American ships which succeeded a world circumnavigation as
well as help to carried the same name for the command module the first
flight of the space shuttle was Columbia for Apollo 11. already for provided
in 1979, was, however, delayed because of problems with the fastening of the
heat shield plates and the construction of the main jet engines by almost
two years. Astronaut veteran John Young and newcomer Robert Crippen were as
a crew for the maiden flight selected the Columbia. The start appointment
for the enterprise described as STS 1 (Engl. Space Transportation system,
Raumtranspo rtsystem) was finally fixed till April 10th, 1981, had to be
postponed, however, because of a computer perturbation once again to two
days. On April 12th at 7.00 hours local civil time actually then lifted the
Columbia of the start platform, with the Space shuttle era had started.
Apart from a couple of plates of the heat shield lost away reached the
Columbia it came through their earth orbit without technical problems and
also the re-entry into the earth's atmosphere without difficulties. With a
textbook-like landing on Edwards Air Force cousin in California it completed
a //num(54) stündig//, 1,720,000 km long, fault-free flight. In November
1981 got up renewed on the start platform the Columbia and you sent on its
second journey on November 12th (STS 2.) This flight was directional for the
further development of the space-travel: Before, a spacecraft which returns
to the space hadn't given it yet and this trick in another the following
year just still three times which repeated Columbia. This flights (STS 5)
became two satellites to the space brought, with what the commercial use of
the space shuttle started on the last one. After this this Columbia year "break"
had since the new Orbiter Challenger was put into service and took on the
uses of shuttles. Only in November 1983 it flew (STS 9) again and the first
European space laboratory Spacelab took to the orbit. The crew was six Mann
for the German astronaut Ulf Merbold, below them. Became Spacelab also at
the mission STS 40 to space flown, a mission, which completely was in space
in the sign of the reconnaissance of the possible life of people. After
their eleventh flight became the Columbia to its "place of birth" in
Palmdale, California, brought back and generally overhauled. In addition, it
was for EDO (extended duration orbiter operation) prepares so that stays of
up to 16 days in space are possible. In June 1992, the first longer mission
(only a couple of hours less than two weeks) took place than the U.S.
Mikrogravitations laboratory (USML 1) was taken to the orbit (STS 50). Even
longer uses followed, the highlight was STS 80 in November/December 1996
when they were away with an international Spacelab flight almost 17 days
incessantly.
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The flights of the Columbia:
1 12 Apr 81
STS-1
2 12 Nov 81
STS-2
3 22 Mrz 82
STS-3
4 27 Jun 82
STS-4
5 11 Nov 82
STS-5
6 28 Nov 83 STS-9
7 12 Jan 86
STS-61-C
8 08 Aug 89
STS-28
9 09 Jan 90
STS-32
10 02 Dez 90 STS-35
11
05 Jun 91 STS-40
12 25 Jun 92
STS-50
13 22 Okt 92 STS-52
14
26 Apr 93 STS-55
15 18 Okt 93
STS-58
16 04 Mrz 94 STS-62
17
08 Jul 94 STS-65
18 20 Okt 95
STS-73
19 22 Feb 96 STS-75
20
20 Jun 96 STS-78
21 19 Nov 96
STS-80
22 04 Apr 97 STS-83
23
01 Jul 97 STS-94
24 19 Nov 97
STS-87
25 17 Apr 98 STS-90
26
23 Jul 99 STS-93
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On April 12th, 1981 starts the Columbia for its maiden flight (STS 1) and
the Space shuttle starts with that with program of the NASA ... ... |
