Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001

posted 01-14-2017 03:34 AM               

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STS-1 pilot Bob Crippen enters Columbia to participate in the Orbiter Integrated Test with commander John Young on January 17, 1980. Columbia was still in the Orbiter Processing Facility at KSC at the time and its maiden flight was more than a year in the future.

Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007

Posts: 355
From: Andover, MN
Registered: Dec 2013

posted 01-14-2017 08:51 AM               

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Great photo, Ed! Pictures like this always remind me of how enormous the shuttle was in comparison to previous space vehicles. It must have been a tremendously stark difference for astronauts like John Young, Ken Mattingly, and Fred Haise, as well as the several astronauts who trained or were around in the Apollo days, to then be part of the shuttle era.

Even though I grew up during the shuttle era, it never enthralled me like M-G-A. Still, I understand the allure of it, and while it wasn't designed as a deep space vehicle, I sometimes wonder if its versatility will be missed in regards to all its earth orbital applications.

Either way, this is a fantastic photo!

Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000