john f. kennedy space center brevard county, florida - Environmental ...

Space Shuttle Program Historic Properties 3-8
NASA Kennedy Space Center
Following completion of the ALT flights, Enterprise was flown to MSFC for a series of
vertical ground vibration tests, which began in March 1978. Initially, Enterprise was
mated to the ET which held water rather than liquid oxygen. Between September 1978
and February 1979, the tests incorporated inert SRBs. At the conclusion of the test series,
and contrary to original plans, Enterprise was not refitted as a flight orbiter. Rather,
NASA decided that the less costly alternative was to use structural test article, STA-099,
then under construction at Palmdale. Rebuilt for operational service, STA-099 thus
became Orbiter Vehicle (OV)-099, the Challenger flight vehicle.
3.4.4 Orbital Test Flights: 1981-1982
The first orbiter intended for space flight, Columbia (OV-102), arrived at NASA KSC in
March 1979. Originally scheduled to lift off in late 1979, the launch date was delayed by
problems with both the SSME components as well as the thermal protection system.
Upon its arrival at KSC from Palmdale, the orbiter was missing thousands of tiles, its
main engines, APUs, on-board computers, and fuel cells. About six months of assembly
work needed to be done. As the result of changed requirements for increased tile strength
(“densification”), for 20 months technicians at KSC worked three shifts per day, six days
per week installing, testing, removing and reinstalling approximately 30,000 tiles.
Columbia spent 610 days in the OPF, another 35 days in the VAB and 105 days on Pad
39A before finally lifting off on April 12, 1981.
Photo 3.2. The April 12, 1981 launch of STS-1.
(Source: NASA Headquarters, GPN-2000-000650)
STS-1, the first orbital test flight and first Space Shuttle Program mission, was
commanded by John W. Young and piloted by Robert L. Crippen. The Columbia landed
at Runway 23 at Edwards AFB after its historic mission, which lasted two days and six
hours (54 hours). This launch demonstrated Columbia’s ability to fly into orbit, conduct
October 2007
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