STS-1 was the first of four orbital flight tests to verify the design and performance capability of the Space Transportation System.
Veteran Astronaut John Young was the commander of the mission. Rookie Astronaut Robert Crippen was the pilot.
The mission was approximately fifty-four hours. Crew members tested payload bay door function, crossfeeding of the OMS (Orbital Maneuvering System) engine pods, communications, guidance and navigation systems, including closed-circuit TC.
The launch was from Pad A, Complex 39, at Kennedy Space Center, with landing on the dry lake bed at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards Air Force Base), California
