At which California base did STS-1 land in April 1981?

STS-1 landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on April 14, 1981. Space Shuttle Columbia completed the first orbital flight of NASA's shuttle program by gliding onto Runway 23 at the base's dry lakebed.

Commanded by John Young with Robert Crippen as pilot, STS-1 launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 12. The two-day test flight was designed to prove that the reusable orbiter, solid rocket boosters, external tank, launch systems, and landing approach could work together in space. Columbia completed 37 orbits before its return.

The landing was a major milestone because STS-1 was the first piloted spaceflight ever launched with a new spacecraft type on its maiden orbital mission. It touched down after 54 hours, 20 minutes, and 54 seconds of flight. Readers sometimes confuse Edwards with Kennedy Space Center, where the mission launched, or with the Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, which became a frequent shuttle landing site later. Columbia was ferried back to Florida atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.