Space and Astronomy Atlas

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Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Orbiter

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Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space, debuting on April 12, 1981. Over 22 years of operation it completed 28 missions and spent more than 300 days in space, and it was the heaviest orbiter due to its retained internal airlock and test instrumentation. Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1, 2003, killing all seven crew members aboard STS-107. It was built by Rockwell International.

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Launch Date
1981-04-12 1
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1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationSpace Shuttle Columbia article, lead section
Quote, Space Shuttle Columbia article, lead section
Columbia was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space, debuting the Space Shuttle launch vehicle on its maiden flight on April 12, 1981
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationSpace Shuttle Columbia article, infobox
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