![]() ![]() His shift at the Johnson Space Center began after the shuttle opened its payload bay doors - and just as Crippen reported missing heat-shield tiles on the top back of the vehicle. ![]() When the main engines shut off, meaning the shuttle had reached orbit, his daughter saw tears running down Lewis’ cheeks. “You probably would be burnt to a crisp.” “If you eject, you’re going to eject right into a solid rocket booster tail blast,” Lewis said. And the ejection seats weren’t really expected to save the astronauts. If something went wrong during the first two minutes, Lewis knew the shuttle couldn’t abort its launch. Unlike capsules, which launched atop a long rocket in a streamlined manner, the shuttle had wings and other protruding features that would have to withstand the forces of launch. So he sat on the edge of his chair and worried about the shuttle’s aerodynamics. After the boosters detached, the ride was quiet and “smooth as glass,” Crippen said.Ĭhuck Lewis, a NASA flight director for later portions of the mission when the shuttle was in orbit, watched from his Clear Lake home. The first two minutes of the mission, dubbed STS-1, were loud and the space shuttle Columbia shook as two solid rocket boosters propelled it upward. And yet it was a remarkable technological achievement and a continuing source of national pride.” 40 years agoįor Crippen, a Navy pilot who grew up in Porter, that first flight began like an aircraft catapult launching planes off a ship: It was a nice kick in the pants. NASA SPACE SHUTTLE IN SPACE SERIES“On one hand, the decision to develop it was based on a series of promises basically none of which were fulfilled. “It left behind a mixed legacy,” said John Logsdon, a retired professor and founder of George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute. But the shuttle was significantly more complex.Īccidents: 2 Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003 See More Collapse Previous spacecraft - for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs - were first launched without astronauts onboard. Countdown for the space shuttle’s maiden voyage had reached the one-minute mark, and he was strapped inside for the boldest test flight in NASA history. Timothy Bullard, HC staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Lessīob Crippen’s heart rate jumped to 130. Space shuttle mission STS-1 astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen are greeted by well-wishers at Ellington AFB ceremonies for their return to Houston following their space shuttle landing at Edwards AFB in California. Timothy Bullard, HC staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 10 of10 Space shuttle mission STS-1 astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen are greeted by White House chief of staff James Baker at Ellington AFB ceremonies for their return to Houston following their space shuttle landing at Edwards AFB in California. Timothy Bullard, HC staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 9 of10 Space shuttle mission STS-1 astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen in podium at Ellington AFB ceremonies for their return to Houston following their space shuttle landing at Edwards AFB in California. Timothy Bullard, HC staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 8 of10 ![]() Space shuttle mission STS-1 astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen on podium at Ellington AFB ceremonies for their return to Houston following their space shuttle landing at Edwards AFB in California. George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Show More Show Less 7 of10 Vice President George Bush participates in a teleconference with the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia on April 13, 1981. Timothy Bullard, HC staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 6 of10 Space shuttle mission STS-1 astronauts John Young, at microphone, and Bob Crippen waving from podium at Ellington AFB ceremonies on April 14, 1981following their space shuttle landing at Edwards AFB in California. NASA, HO / NYT Show More Show Less 5 of10 Larry Reese, HC staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 4 of10Ī photo provided by NASA shows the space shuttle Challenger seconds after an explosion over Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Jan. Space shuttle astronauts Bob Crippen, left, and John Young hold a model of the orbiter Columbia before the first test flight of the space carrier. Timothy Bullard, HC staff / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of10 Space shuttle mission STS-1 astronaut Bob Crippen is greeted by well-wishers at Ellington AFB ceremonies for his and John Young's return to Houston following their space shuttle landing at Edwards AFB in California in April 1981. The first space shuttle mission launched April 12, 1981, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ![]()
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