Nov 30 1979
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
NASA set June 30, 1980, as the date of the first Shuttle launch, depending on several milestones: Columbia rollout from the orbiter processing facility to the vertical-assembly building in late March 1980; rollout of the complete Shuttle stack (orbiter, solid.-fuel rocket boosters, and external tank) from the VAB to launch pad 39A in mid-April; and a flight readiness (20-second) firing of the Shuttle's main engine on the launch pad in mid-May. Also needed to make this schedule was certification of the Shuttle main engine by June 30, 1980. Administrator Dr. Robert A. Frosch said that "some time in August or September" would be a much more likely date as unforeseen problems could delay the launch. NASA planned nine unmanned launches in 1980, eight of them reimbursable by other organizations. (NASA Release 79-162)
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