On April 12, 1981, astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen launched into space on space shuttle Columbia on the STS-1 mission--NASA's first mission aboard a reusable spacecraft. STS-1 was NASA's first manned mission since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975.
In this image, the two solid rocket boosters are aglow after being jettisoned.
On the craft's maiden voyage, the crew of space shuttle Columbia took this image that showcases the blackness of space and a blue and white Earth, as well as the cargo bay and aft section of the shuttle. The image was photographed through the flight deck's aft windows. In the lower right corner is one of the vehicle's radiator panels. The pentagon-shaped object in the upper left is glare caused by window reflection.
STS-1, Columbia's maiden voyage, launched on April 12, 1981, and was the inaugural flight in the Space Shuttle Program. Columbia and its crew were lost during STS-107 mission in 2003. As the shuttle lifted off from KennedySpaceCenter on Jan. 16, a small portion of foam broke away from the external fuel tank and struck the orbiter's left wing. The resulting damage created a hole in the wing's leading edge, which caused the vehicle to break apart during reentry on Feb. 1.
WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will lay a wreath at the ArlingtonNationalCemetery in Virginia at , Thursday, Jan. 27, to commemorate the agency's National Day of Remembrance.
NASA has an agency-wide Day of Remembrance every January to honor the fallen crews of Apollo 1, space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, and all of those who have given their lives in the cause of exploration.
Journalists who want to attend the wreath-laying ceremony must contact the ArlingtonNationalCemetery public affairs office at dave.foster1@us.army.mil by , Jan. 26, for access information.
At , NASA's Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana will take part in a wreath-laying at the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The ceremony is open to media representatives and the general public.
At NASA's JohnsonSpaceCenter in Houston, Center Director Michael L. Coats will be joined by astronaut family members to lay a wreath at the Astronaut Memorial Tree Grove at on Jan. 27. Media representatives interested in covering the memorial should contact the Johnson newsroom by on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 281-483-5111.
Friday, Jan. 28, marks the 25th anniversary of the Challenger accident. At , the Astronauts Memorial Foundation will hold a remembrance service honoring the STS-51L crew members at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. NASA Television will provide live coverage of the event, which will take place at the visitor complex's Space Mirror Memorial.
Speakers at the event include Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations; June Scobee Rodgers, widow of STS-51L Commander Dick Scobee; Robert Cabana, former astronaut and director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center; and Michael McCulley, former astronaut and chairman of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation.
Journalists interested in covering the Jan. 27th wreath-laying or the Jan. 28 memorial should contact Andrea Farmer at 321-449-4318 or Jillian McRae at 321-449-4273 for access information. The public also is invited to attend the service. The Kennedy Visitor Complex will provide flowers for all ceremony guests and visitors throughout the day to place at the memorial.
Challenger's seven astronauts died shortly after launch on Jan. 28, 1986. The crew consisted of Commander Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Sharon Christa McAuliffe.
The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, a private, not-for-profit organization, built and maintains the Space Mirror Memorial. The memorial was dedicated in 1991 to honor all astronauts who lost their lives on missions or during training. It since has been designated a National Memorial by Congress.
To view an online tribute, including photographs, videos and information about the crew members on Apollo 1 and shuttle Challenger and Columbia, visit http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/dor11/.
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
On April 12, 1981, astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen launched into space on space shuttle Columbia on the STS-1 mission--NASA's first mission aboard a reusable spacecraft. STS-1 was NASA's first manned mission since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. 
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