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Columbia
Part of Shuttle

Shuttle cutaway

Shuttle cutaway
Shuttle cutaway showing deployment of LDEF
Credit: NASA

American manned spaceplane. Columbia, the first orbiter in the Shuttle fleet, was named after the sloop that accomplished the first American circumnavigation of the globe.

AKA: OV-102. Status: Operational 1981. First Launch: 1981-04-12. Last Launch: 2003-01-16. Number: 28 . Payload: 21,190 kg (46,710 lb). Thrust: 53.37 kN (11,997 lbf). Gross mass: 115,900 kg (255,500 lb). Unfuelled mass: 103,488 kg (228,151 lb). Specific impulse: 316 s. Height: 37.24 m (122.17 ft). Span: 23.79 m (78.05 ft).

The command module for Apollo 11, the first lunar landing mission, also bore the name. Following 26 missions Columbia underwent a major overhaul beginning in late 1999. The updated Columbia first flew in 2002 on the STS-109 mission to update and repair the Hubble telescope. The second mission, STS-107 in January 2003, concluded with the loss of the spacecraft and its crew during re-entry.

Columbia, after several years of delays, became the first Space Shuttle to fly into Earth orbit in 1981. It soldiered on alone for two years and five flights before being joined by Challenger in 1983 (destroyed four years later during launch). Orbiters Discovery (1984) and Atlantis (1985) followed. It had originally been planned that the test vehicle Enterprise, used for suborbital approach and landing tests, would be refurbished and fly into orbit, but this was found not to be economical. Shuttle Endeavour was built as a replacement for Challenger and first flew in 1992.

Columbia was the first on-line orbiter to undergo the scheduled inspection and retrofit program. It was transported August 10, 1991, after completion of mission STS-40, to prime Shuttle contractor Rockwell International's Palmdale, California assembly plant. The oldest orbiter in the fleet underwent approximately 50 modifications, including the addition of carbon brakes, drag chute, improved nose wheel steering, removal of development flight instrumentation and an enhancement of its thermal protection system. The orbiter returned to KSC February 9, 1992 to begin processing for mission STS-50 in June of that year.

Columbia underwent its OMDP-1 overhaul at Palmdale between 8 October 1994 and 14 April 1995. The airframe was completely inspected for corrosion, in particular the wing leading edge spar, which seemed to have a recurring problem after sustained exposure of the orbiter on the pad in the long run-up to the first shuttle launch. 469 x-ray and 19 visual borescope inspections were conducted of the orbiter's structure. A total of 80 new and 143 pending changes were made to the spacecraft, but no major changes.

With the advent of the International Space Station program, it was decided that Columbia was too heavy for efficient operations to the 51.6 degree inclination ISS orbit. Instead it was refurbished in September 1999-2002 at the factory under OMDP-2 as a vehicle planned to be dedicated to solo shuttle operations in low-inclination orbits (Spacelab/Spacehab flights, heavy scientific payload launch, Hubble space telescope servicing missions). Columbia became the second orbiter to received the updated 'glass cockpit' electronic crew displays. Unlike the other orbiters, it retained most of its unique original thermal protection scheme. The updated Columbia first flew in 2002 on the STS-109 mission to update and repair the Hubble telescope. The second mission, STS-107 in January 2003, concluded with the loss of the spacecraft and its crew during re-entry. Ironically, in the aftermath of the tragedy, NASA decided to cancel all further shuttle missions that could not use the ISS as a safe haven in the event of problems.

Crew Size: 8. Orbital Storage: 30 days. Habitable Volume: 71.50 m3. Structure: 32,950 kg (72,640 lb). Heat shield: 12,100 kg (26,600 lb). Reaction Control System: 2,800 kg (6,100 lb). Recovery Equipment: 4,200 kg (9,200 lb). Navigation Equipment: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Electrical Equipment: 7,000 kg (15,400 lb). Communications Systems: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Crew Seats and Provisions: 750 kg (1,650 lb). Miscellaneous Contingency: 2,400 kg (5,200 lb). Environmental Control System: 2,500 kg (5,500 lb). RCS Coarse No x Thrust: 38 x 387 N. RCS Fine No x Thrust: 6 x 107 N. RCS specific impulse: 289 sec. RCS total impulse: 9,355 kgf-sec. Spacecraft delta v: 700 m/s (2,290 ft/sec). Electric System: 6,000.00 kWh. Electric System: 14.00 average kW.



Family: Spaceplane, US Rocketplanes. Country: USA. Engines: OME. Flights: STS-1, STS-2, STS-3, STS-4, STS-5, STS-9, STS-61-C, STS-28, STS-32, STS-35, STS-40, STS-50, STS-52, STS-55, STS-58, STS-62, STS-65, STS-73, STS-75, STS-78, STS-80, STS-83, STS-94, STS-87, STS-90, STS-93, STS-109, STS-107. Launch Vehicles: Space Shuttle. Propellants: N2O4/MMH. Projects: STS. Launch Sites: Edwards, Cape Canaveral, Cape Canaveral LC39A, Cape Canaveral LC39B. Agency: NASA, North American. Bibliography: 15, 2, 276, 3133, 33, 44, 552, 554, 6, 66, 7, 8.
Photo Gallery

Shuttle OrbiterShuttle Orbiter
Shuttle Orbiter 2 view
Credit: © Mark Wade


Shuttle LandingShuttle Landing
Credit: NASA


Shuttle cutawayShuttle cutaway
Shuttle cutaway showing deployment of LDEF
Credit: NASA


STS-1STS-1
Detailed drawing of STS-1 Columbia
Credit: NASA


STS-1STS-1
STS 1 Shuttle Columbia firing main engines
Credit: NASA


STS-1STS-1
Launch view of the Columbia for the STS-1 mission, April 12, 1981
Credit: NASA


STS-1STS-1
Launch view of the Columbia for the STS-1 mission, April 12, 1981
Credit: NASA


STS-1STS-1
Launch view of the Columbia for the STS-1 mission, April 12, 1981
Credit: NASA


STS-1STS-1
Space Shuttle orbiter Columbia on approach for landing Edwards Air Force Base
Credit: NASA


STS-1STS-1
Aerial ground views of the Columbia sitting on the Lakebed Runway
Credit: NASA


STS-2STS-2
Space shuttle Columbia being lowered down toward the solid rocket boosters
Credit: NASA


STS-2STS-2
Space Shuttle Columbia OV (101) launching from pad 39A beginning STS-2
Credit: NASA


STS-2STS-2
View of the Columbia's open payload bay and the Canadian RMS
Credit: NASA


STS-2STS-2
Views of STS-2 Columbia landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California
Credit: NASA


STS-3STS-3
Night firing of orbiter Columbia's thrusters
Credit: NASA


STS-3STS-3
View of the Columbia's aft section while over Morocco's Atlantic Coast
Credit: NASA


STS-4STS-4
View of the Columbia's RMS arm and end effector grasping IECM
Credit: NASA


STS-9STS-9
Launch of STS-9 Space Shuttle Columbia
Credit: NASA


STS-9STS-9
View of the Spacelab module in the payload bay of the Columbia during STS-9
Credit: NASA


STS-9STS-9
Post landing view of the Columbia on runway with deservicing vehicles & crew
Credit: NASA


STS-61-CSTS-61-C
Piece of thermal insulation tile floats near the Shuttle Columbia
Credit: NASA


STS-61-CSTS-61-C
The SATCOM Ku-1 communications satellite deployed from Columbia
Credit: NASA


STS-61-CSTS-61-C
Night landing of Shuttle Columbia at Edwards AFB and end of STS 61-C mission
Credit: NASA


STS-28STS-28
STS-28 Columbia, OV-102, Pilot Richards adjusts LES before bailout exercises
Credit: NASA


STS-28STS-28
STS-28 Columbia, OV-102, lifts off from KSC Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39B
Credit: NASA


STS-28STS-28
STS-28 Columbia, OV-102, Pilot Richards at forward flight deck pilots station
Credit: NASA


STS-28STS-28
STS-28 Columbia, OV-102, MS Brown juggles food containers on middeck
Credit: NASA


STS-28STS-28
STS-28 Columbia, OV-102, MS Brown uses ARRIFLEX camera on aft flight deck
Credit: NASA


STS-28STS-28
STS-28 Columbia, OV-102, landing at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) California
Credit: NASA


STS-28STS-28
STS-28 MS Adamson inspects Columbia's, OV-102's, thermal protection system
Credit: NASA


STS-32STS-32
Air-to-air view of STS-32 Columbia, OV-102, lift-off and SRB separation
Credit: NASA



1969 September 11 - . LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
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1981 April 12 - . 12:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1981 November 12 - . 15:10 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1982 March 22 - . 16:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1982 June 27 - . 15:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1982 November 11 - . 12:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1983 November 28 - . 16:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1984-1986 - . LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
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1986 January 12 - . 11:55 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
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1989 August 8 - . 12:37 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP2. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1990 January 9 - . 12:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1990 December 2 - . 06:49 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1991 June 5 - . 13:24 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1991 August 10 - . LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1992 June 25 - . 16:12 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1992 October 22 - . 17:09 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1992 November 8 - . LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1993 March 22 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1993 April 26 - . 14:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1993 October 18 - . 14:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1994 March 4 - . 13:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1994 July 8 - . 16:43 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1995 October 20 - . 13:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1996 February 22 - . 20:18 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1996 June 20 - . 14:49 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1996 November 19 - . 19:55 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1997 April 4 - . 19:20 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1997 July 1 - . 18:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1997 November 19 - . 19:46 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
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1998 April 17 - . 18:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP2. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
1999 July 23 - . 04:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP1. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
2002 March 1 - . 11:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
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