Space Shuttle Patches 1981-1985

The Space Shuttle was America's first partially reusable spacecraft. Its official program name was Space Transportation System, or STS. There were 23 shuttle flights from 1981 to 1985. The first manned flight took place on February 7, 2001. Veteran astronaut John Young commanded a test flight of Columbia that lasted 2 and a half days. It was the first US manned space flight since the Apollo-Soyuz test rroject on July 15, 1975. It was also the only US manned maiden test flight of a new spacecraft system. The flight was a success, and a second test mission was launched just 7 months later. STS-5 became the first operational flight of the Space Shuttle on November 11, 1982 and was the first to carry 4 astronauts. STS-7 carried astronaut Sally Ride, who became the first American woman in space. STS-9 was the first flight to carry the Spacelab module in its cargo bay. STS-41B featured the first untethered spacewalk using the new Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMV). Astronauts left the shuttle cargo bay and maneuvered around the shuttle without any king of physical connection. The last flight of 1985 was STS-61B, launching on November 26.