The space shuttle Columbia with its landing gear in position near touchdown on a dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base in the desert area of southern California. Aboard the spacecraft were astronauts John W. Young, STS-1 commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot. Their landing marked the completion of a successful two-and-a-third day flight in Earth orbit and the beginning of a new era of space transportation. A series of additional test flights will follow before the shuttle program becomes fully operational later in this decade.
NASA
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