.The first ever built Orbiter was conceived as a test vehicle for test
flights in the earth's atmosphere. The space glider with the official name
OV 101 was called climbing pinch after the spaceship from the known
television series. The climbing pinch built by Rockwell International in the
Californian Palmdale was completed in September 1976 and center dragged for
the nearby Dryden Flight research on the last January day of the following
year. The climbing pinch was subjected to series of tests covering 13
approaches and landings there.
At these tests the Orbiter of a rebuilt Boeing 747 Jumbo jet jet was carried
on the back. After first tests on the runway the climbing pinch assembled on
the strap airplane tightly went through several unmanned and manned test
flights. On August 12th, 1977 the climbing pinch with Frederick Haise and
Gordon Fullerton as pilots for the first time in this swept back a free
glide to the landing strip after approximately 7,000 m of altitude of the
strap airplane had been uncoupled it. Another four glides followed until
October 26th. No defects were noticed at the aerodynamic qualities of the
space shuttle. In 1978 one then took the Orbiter to thorough vibration tests
to the Marshall Flight center in Huntsville (Alabama). The Orbiter was put
together with the other assemblies to the first shuttle start combine which
thus already let itself be seen in its future outer shape in the Kennedy
Space center in spring 1979.
This start group was rolled to the start platform on May 1st, 1979 of the
assembly hall to rehearse the final assembly. The first Orbiter, Columbia,
provided for actual uses already was in the Kennedy Space center at this
instant and the preparations for its first flight went at full blast. This
flight finally on April 12th, 1981 took place. After this the climbing pinch
wasn't further needed; it was only used at space exhibitions and similar
events in all the world.
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