Columbia was the first operational shuttle orbiter, which spearheaded the shuttle programme on its first flight into orbit in April 1981. Officially designated OV-102, Columbia is named, like the other operational orbiters, after US a sailing ship. The ship operated out of Boston in 1792 and explored the mouth of the Columbia River. One of the first US naval ships to circumnavigate the globe also had this name, as did the Apollo 11 command module. Columbia's first flight was originally scheduled for 1979, but troubles with fixing the heat-shield tiles and design problems with the shuttle main engines delayed its flight for nearly two years. Veteran astronaut John Young and space rookie Robert Crippen were the crew chosen for Columbia's maiden flight, designated STS-1 (STS standing for space transportation system). The launch date was set for April 10, 1981, but computer problems caused a two-day delay.
So it was a few seconds after 7.00 am local time on April 12 that Columbia finally left the launch pad to initiate the shuttle era. Apart from shedding a few tiles, Columbia reached orbit in excellent shape. It also negotiated re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere with ease and made a textbook landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The 54-hour, 36-orbit, 1,720,000-km flight proved all but flawless. By November 1981, Columbia was back on the launch pad. On November 12 it was again blasting its way into the heavens. This was truly revolutionary: a spacecraft was making a return trip to space - this had never happened before. Columbia repeated this feat three times more over the next year, on the last flight (STS-5) launching two satellites, which marked the beginning of commercial shuttle operations. Columbia then enjoyed a year's 'rest' as new orbiter Challenger took over shuttle operations.
It returned to flight in November 1983, carrying the first European-built Spacelab into orbit. The Spacelab 1 mission set a number of records. It carried into space the first European to travel in a US spacecraft, the German scientist Ulf Merbold. Its commander, John Young, was making his sixth space flight. And it was manned by a crew of six, the most astronauts ever to venture into space together. It was the longest shuttle mission to date. Over two years passed before Columbia next went into orbit on STS-61C, its lift-off eventually being postponed a record six times. Its launch delay until January 12, 1986, set back the lift-off of the fated STS-51L mission, which occurred 16 days later. The loss of Challenger 73 seconds into flight resulted in the grounding of the whole shuttle fleet, and put back the next launch of Columbia (its eighth) until over three-and-a-half years later in August 1989 on a classified Department of Defense mission (STS-28).
Columbia's next flight (STS-32), which featured the recovery of LDEF, the long-duration exposure facility, set a new flight duration record for the shuttle of nearly 11 days After its 11th flight into orbit (STS-40, June 1991), which was the first Spacelab mission entirely devoted to the life sciences, Columbia returned to its birthplace, Rockwell International's orbiter assembly facility in Palmdale, California. There it underwent a six-month 'refit', which included complete structural inspection and some 50 modifications and upgrades, and the installation of a drag chute to assist braking on landing. Modifications were also made to allow Columbia to fly on extended missions of up to 16 days. The EDO (extended duration orbiter) modifications included improving the plumbing and waste- collection system, and the carbon dioxide regenerating system.
An EDO pallet was installed in the payload bay, carrying extra liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to run the fuel calls that provide the orbiter with electricity and water. Extra nitrogen tanks to provide gas for the cabin atmosphere were also fitted. Columbia flew its first extended mission in June 1992, when it carried the US microgravity laboratory (USML) into orbit, remaining there for a few hours short of two weeks and establishing a new shuttle long-duration record.
