APOD
Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia
August 6, 1995
About This Image
August 6, 1995 Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia Credit: NASA, Kennedy Space Center Explanation: On April 12, 1981, space flight entered a new era with the first launch of Space Shuttle Columbia, shown above. NASA's Space Shuttles land like a normal plane, carry a heavy cargo, carry a large crew, make use of cheap solid fuel, and are reusable. Previous to this flight, no manned orbiting space ship had ever landed on a runway. Space Shuttles now are the flagships and the workhorses of NASA's space going rockets. For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle missions, see the NASA Space Shuttle Launches page.
On This Day in Space History
On August 6, 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover landed in Gale Crater on Mars, beginning its exploration mission.
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