NASA Space Shuttle 1981 T-shirt - Yellow

100% Cotton (preshrunk)

See size chart in image gallery

Officially licensed

Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA. Named after the first American ship to circumnavigate the upper North American Pacific coast and the personification of the United States, Columbia was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space, debuting the Space Shuttle launch vehicle on its maiden flight in April 1981. It was the heaviest of the five space-faring orbiters, weighing around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) more than Challenger and 3,600 kilograms (7,900 pounds) more than Endeavour. It featured unique features indicative of its experimental design compared to later orbiters, such as test instrumentation and distinctive black chines. Columbia also retained an internal airlock throughout its lifetime and carried ejection seats based on those from the SR-71 during its first six flights until 1983. From 1986 onwards, it carried an imaging pod on its vertical stabilizer.