Space Shuttle Columbia Launch
Jan. 12, 1986, the space shuttle Columbia launched at 6:55 EST from Kennedy Space Center on the STS-61C mission. It was the first spaceflight for now-NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, who was a Pilot on the STS-61C crew along with Mission Commander Robert L. Gibson, Mission Specialists Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Steven A. Hawley and George D. Nelson and Payload Specialists Robert J. Cenker of RCA and Rep. (now Senator) Bill Nelson. During the six-day flight, crew members deployed the SATCOM KU satellite and conducted experiments in astrophysics and materials processing. The mission was accomplished in 96 orbits of Earth, ending with a successful night landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Jan. 18, 1986. Image Credit: NASA
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Photo credit: © NASA Archive / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: american, astronaut, astronauts, blast, columbia, exploration, historic, historical, history, launch, nasa, night, shuttle, space, thrust
