Space.TBO.com

Shuttle Columbia, OV-102
Information from NASA and The Tampa Tribune
Originally Published: February 1, 2003

Columbia (OV-102), the first of NASA's orbiter fleet, was delivered to Kennedy Space Center in March 1979. Columbia initiated the Space Shuttle flight program when it lifted off Pad A in the Launch Complex 39 area at KSC on April 12, 1981.

Flight Launch Date Landing Date/Site Mission details

1.
STS-1 4/12/1981 4/14/1981 Maiden voyage; demonstrate safe launch and return.

2.
STS-2 11/12/1981 11/14/1981 Demonstrate safe relaunch; mission cut short due to fuel cell failure.

3.
STS-3 3/22/1982 3/30/1982 Another shakedown flight; all systems tested.

4.
STS-4 6/27/1982 7/4/1982 Final test flight; carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense.

5.
STS-5 11/11/1982 11/16/1982 First operational mission; deployed two communications satellites.

6.
STS-9 11/28/1983 12/8/1983 Flight carried first Spacelab mission.

7.
61-C 1/12/1986 1/18/1986 Last pre-Challenger flight, satellite deployed.

8.
STS-28 8/8/1989 8/13/1989 Mission for Department of Defense.

9.
STS-32 1/9/1990 1/20/1990 Deployed defense satelitte, retrieved previously launched space equipment.

10. STS-35 12/2/1990 12/10/1990 Gathered astronomical data.

11. STS-40 6/5/1991 6/14/1991 Dedicated Spacelab mission with focus on the life sciences.

12. STS-50 6/25/1992 7/9/1992 Carried Spacelab module for microgravity research.

13. STS-52 10/22/1992 11/1/1992 Deployed Laser Geodynamic Satellite.

14. STS-55 4/26/1993 5/6/1993 Deployed Spacelab module.

15. STS-58 10/18/1993 11/1/1993 Dedicated to life sciences research.

16. STS-62 3/4/1994 3/18/1994 Longer mission to study medical effects of space flight.

17. STS-65 7/8/1994 7/23/1994 More microgravity research.

18. STS-73 10/20/1995 11/5/1995 Conducted medical and engineering research.

19. STS-75 2/22/1996 3/9/1996 Minor instrument malfunction; tethered satellite experiment was cut short.

20. STS-78 6/20/1996 7/7/1996 More studies of effects of long-term space flight.

21. STS-80 11/19/1996 12/7/1996 18-day flight retrieved previously deployed astrometrical research equipment.

22. STS-83 4/4/1997 4/8/1997 Mission cut short due to fuel cell problems.

23. STS-94 7/1/1997 7/17/1997 Completed microgravity research from aborted STS 83.

24. STS-87 11/19/1997 12/5/1997 Microgravity research

25. STS-90 4/13/1998 5/3/1998 Spacelab flight to study effects of microgravity on the nervous system.

26. STS-93 7/23/1999 7/27/1999 Deployed Advanced X-ray Microphysics Facility.

27. STS-109 3/1/2002 3/12/2002 Serviced Hubble Space Telescope.

28. STS-107 1/16/2003 2/1/2003 Crew and Vehicle lost during landing .

Columbia was named after a small sailing vessel that operated out of Boston in 1792 and explored the mouth of the Columbia River. One of the first ships of the U.S. Navy to circumnavigate the globe was named Columbia. The command module for the Apollo 11 lunar mission was also named Columbia.