[SHUTTLE COLUMBIA (STS-1)] THE SHUTTLE CLEARING THE LAUNCH TOWER. VINTAGE NASA "RED NUMBER" PHOTOGRAPH, 12 APRIL 1981.

The Vintage NASA Photo Collection of Philip Kulpa

[SHUTTLE COLUMBIA (STS-1)] 

THE SPACE SHUTTLE CLEARING THE LAUNCH TOWER. 12 APRIL 1981.

Vintage NASA “Red Number” chromogenic color photograph, 10 by 8 inches, “This Paper Manufactured by Kodak” watermark to verso. NASA image ID “S81-30577” printed in center of upper margin in red; toning, tape to verso.

A remote camera at the Kennedy Space Centre's Launch Pad 39A captured this dramatic scene as the maiden flight of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) lifted off. Columbia returned on 14 April (54.5 hours later), after having orbited the Earth 36 times. Aboard the shuttle were Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen⁠, making this the first American manned space flight since the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project in 1975.