Like all other NASA Space Shuttles, OV-102 "COLUMBIA" is named after a famous sailing ship. In May 1792, a Boston-based sloop named COLUMBIA captained by American Robert Gray, sailed into the mouth of a river extending more than 1,000 miles through the nortwest United States and Canada. The river was later named COLUMBIA in honor of the ship. Gray also led COLUMBIA and her crew in the first American circumnavigation of the globe. The Apollo-11 Command Module was also named COLUMBIA.
Orbiter COLUMBIA milestones:
Contract award: 26 July 1972
Start assembly crew module: 04 June 1974
Start assembly aft-fuselage: 13 September 1976
Wings arrive from Grumman at Palmdale: 26 August 1977
Start final assembly: 07 November 1977
Final assembly complete: 23 April 1978
Roll-out at Palmdale: 08 March 1979
Transport from Palmdale to Edwards: 12 March 1979
Delivery to KSC: 25 March 1979
Flight Readiness Firing(*): 20 February 1981
First Space flight: 12 April 1981
Last Launch (STS-107) 16 January 2003
(*)Flight Readiness Firing was on pad 39A and the duration was 20 seconds.
MISSIONS:
FLIGHT LAUNCH LANDING DURATION
STS-1 APRIL 12, 1981 APRIL 14, 1981 2 days, 6 hrs.
20 min. 52 sec
STS-2 NOVEMBER 12, 1981 NOVEMBER 14, 1981 2 days, 6 hrs.
14 min. 52 sec
STS-3 MARCH 22, 1982 MARCH 30, 1982 8 days, 4 min.
46 sec.
STS-4 JUNE 27, 1982 JULY 4, 1982 7 days, 1 hr.
9 min. 32 sec.
STS-5 NOVEMBER 11, 1982 November 16, 1982 5 days, 2 hrs.
14 min. 25 sec
STS-9 NOVEMBER 28, 1983 December 8, 1983 10 days, 7 hrs
47 min. 23 sec
STS-61C JANUARY 12, 1986 JANUARY 18, 1986 6 days, 2 hrs.
4 min. 9 sec.
STS-28 AUGUST 8, 1989 AUGUST 13, 1989 5 days, 1 hr.
8 sec.
STS-32 JANUARY 9, 1990 JANUARY 20, 1990 10 days, 21 hrs
37 sec.
STS-35 DECEMBER 2, 1990 DECEMBER 10, 1990 8 days, 23 hrs
5 min. 7 sec.
STS-40 JUNE 5, 1991 JUNE 14, 1991 9 days, 2 hrs
15 min. 14 sec
STS-50 JUNE 25, 1992 JULY 9, 1992 13 days, 13 hrs
30 min. 4 sec.
STS-52 OCTOBER 22, 1992 NOVEMBER 1, 1992 9 days, 20 hrs
56 min. 13 sec
STS-55 APRIL 26, 1993 MAY 6, 1993 9 days, 23 hrs
40 min. 59 sec
STS-58 OCTOBER 18, 1993 NOVEMBER 1, 1993 14 days, 12 min
32 sec.
STS-62 MARCH 4, 1994 MARCH 18, 1994 13 days, 23 hrs
16 min. 17 sec
STS-65 JULY 8, 1994 JULY 23, 1994 14 days, 17 hrs
55 min. 1 sec.
STS-73 OCTOBER 20, 1995 NOVEMBER 5, 1995 15 days, 21 hrs
53 min. 16 sec
STS-75 FEBRUARY 22, 1996 MARCH 9, 1996 15 days, 17 hrs
40 min. 21 sec
STS-78 JUNE 20, 1996 JULY 7, 1996 16 days, 21 hrs
47 min. 45 sec
STS-80 NOVEMBER 19, 1996 DECEMBER 7, 1996 17 days, 15 hrs
53 min.
STS-83 APRIL 04, 1997 APRIL 08, 1997 03 days, 23 hrs
13 min. 38 sec.
STS-94 JULY 01, 1997 JULY 17, 1997 15 days, 16 hrs
45 min. 29 sec.
STS-87 NOVEMBER 19, 1997 DECEMBER 05, 1997 15 days, 16 hrs
34 min. 04 sec.
STS-90 APRIL 17, 1998 MAY 03, 1998 15 days, 21 hrs
50 min. 58 sec.
STS-93 JULY 23, 1999 JULY 27, 1999 4 days, 22 hrs
50 min. 18 sec.
STS-109 MARCH 01, 2002 MARCH 12, 2002 10 days, 22 hrs
10 min.
STS-107 JANUARY 16, 2003 FEBRUARY 01, 2003 15 days, 22 hrs
20 min. 22 sec.(**)
(**)Time of Total Loss of Signal, some 16 min. before scheduled landing at KSC.