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[b]NASA Celebrates 25th Anniversary of First Shuttle Flight[/b] NASA today launches a series of events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. On April 12, 1981, shuttle Columbia lifted off with Commander John Young and pilot Robert Crippen. Their mission, known as STS-1, is being remembered as the boldest test flight in history. Several anniversary activities will be broadcast live on NASA Television. The first event will took place today at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., having aired live on NASA Television beginning at 3 p.m. EDT. The STS-1 crew addressed Kennedy employees and fielded their questions during a one-hour session. On the actual anniversary date, NASA astronaut Steve Lindsey, commander of the next space shuttle mission, will take part in satellite media interviews from the agency's Johnson Space Center, Houston, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. EDT. At 10 a.m. EDT April 12, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin will join Young and Crippen at Space Center Houston to honor their mission and all those who made it possible. Due to limited seating, the event is not open to the public, but it will be broadcast live on NASA TV. At 12:30 p.m. EDT, NASA TV will broadcast an event from the Teague where the STS-1 crew, former shuttle managers and flight directors will reminisce about the historic mission for Johnson employees. Also on April 12, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., will observe the 25th anniversary during an employee event that will feature an STS-1 video on Marshall's role in developing the propulsion systems for the flight. At NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., astronaut Stephen Robinson will address employees at 6 p.m. EDT. He worked as a scientist at Ames during STS-1 and flew on Space Shuttle Discovery in July. At 10 p.m. EDT, the public is invited to the center to hear Robinson's experiences. Other NASA facilities hold events on other dates. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., holds a media briefing at 1 p.m. EDT April 10 aboard NASA's modified 747 shuttle carrier aircraft. Current and former NASA and Air Force employees will discuss the historic STS-1 landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., unveils a shuttle sculpture at 10 a.m. April 14. Wallops provided range-safety support during the STS-1 launch and tracked the shuttle during the mission. NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, will hold a briefing at 11 a.m. EDT April 15 with a NASA aerospace engineer on what it takes to put a shuttle into orbit. NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., will test-fire a space shuttle main engine at 3 p.m. EDT April 21. The event marks both the STS-1 anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the first rocket engine static test-firing on the A-2 Test Stand. The stand was modified to test all shuttle main engines, including those which powered STS-1. NASA TV will begin airing a Video File segment including footage of the STS-1 mission on Monday, April 10.
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