the year was 1981 and the world was on the edge of its sea NASA was about to launch the very first space shuttle into orbit a Monumental event in space exploration on April 12th 1981 space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with its powerful engines roaring Columbia soared into the sky carrying astronauts John Young and Robert krippin this marked the beginning of a new era in reusable space Vehicles the shuttle orbited the Earth 37 times over 2 days giving Humanity a new perspective of our planet from space Columbia safely returned to Earth Landing like an airplane on a Runway at Edwards Air for space this Mission wasn't just about exploration it proved that space shuttles could be reused changing the future of space travel the first shuttle launch inspired countless people to look up and dream big setting the stage for decades of advancements in space exploration Colombia paved the way for future missions making space travel more accessible and more ambitious than ever before