OTD…Oct. 3 and STS-51J

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.

On this day in 2010, Atlantis on her next-to-final mission launches with Russia’s Rassvet mini module for the International Space Station

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