OTD…Sept. 21 and Endeavour retirement

America’s first space shuttle launched on this day 35 years ago as the reusable flying machine, Columbia, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center with John Young and Bob Crippen aboard.

#OTD in 1982…Columbia launches on the fourth space shuttle mission. #OTD in 1995…Atlantis launches on first shuttle-Mir docking flight

The final manned Mercury mission was launched atop an Atlas rocket on this day in 1963 with Gordon Cooper aboard Faith 7 for a 34-hour, 22-orbit flight.