What was the name of NASA’s first reusable space shuttle, launched in 1981?

Space Shuttle Columbia was NASA’s first reusable space shuttle, launching on April 12, 1981.

Columbia flew the first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1, with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen aboard. Unlike earlier crewed spacecraft, the shuttle was designed to launch like a rocket, operate in orbit, and return to Earth as a gliding aircraft. Its first flight tested the orbiter, external tank, solid rocket boosters, and thermal-protection system together.

The orbiter was named after a sailing ship and an Apollo lunar module. Columbia completed 28 missions and spent more than 300 days in space. Its flights included satellite deployments, scientific research, and the first servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Columbia was lost during reentry on February 1, 2003, during STS-107. The accident investigation found that foam from the external tank had damaged a wing’s thermal-protection system during launch. The shuttle fleet later returned to flight after safety changes.