August 6, 1995
The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us, and yet here you are — a collection of atoms that somehow learned to think, to...
Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia
Birthday · August 6, 1995
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APOD published August 6, 1995. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
August 6, 1995 Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia Credit: NASA, Kennedy Space Center Explanation: On April 12, 1981, space flight entered a new era with the first launch of Space Shuttle Columbia, shown above. NASA's Space Shuttles land like a normal plane, carry a heavy cargo, carry a large crew, make use of cheap solid fuel, and are reusable. Previous to this flight, no manned orbiting space ship had ever landed on a runway. Space Shuttles now are the flagships and the workhorses of NASA's space going rockets. For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle missions, see the NASA Space Shuttle Launches page.