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This optimistic article, dated 2 years ago, is now only sadly ironic.

Kirsten Larson
February 22, 2001
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-0243)

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

RELEASE: 01-25

ON THE EVE OF ITS 20th ANNIVERSARY, AMERICA'S FIRST SPACE SHUTTLE RETURNS TO SERVICE BETTER THAN EVER

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of its maiden voyage, America's first space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, returns to service this week fresh from a year and a half of maintenance and upgrades that have made it better than ever.

"Columbia is a safer shuttle today than the day it first launched," said Astronaut John Young, who commanded the first-ever space shuttle mission aboard Columbia in April
1981. "Columbia has gotten better as it has gotten older. It's gone from test flights to doing things we once never dreamed we could do. Although space flight will always carry risks, we must keep pace with advances in technology and improve the shuttle when we can, ensuring it is as safe as it can be."

This weekend, Columbia is scheduled to be carried piggyback atop the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft from the Boeing shuttle facility in Palmdale, CA, to the Kennedy Space Center, FL, to begin preparations for its 27th trip to space.

"As its 20th birthday approaches, Columbia is fit to fly for many more years," Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore said. "It is safer and more capable than it has ever been, a result of the thorough maintenance and continuous improvements that have been incorporated regularly into the shuttle fleet."

More than 100 modifications and improvements have been made to Columbia, highlighted by the installation of a new "glass cockpit" that replaced mechanical instruments with 11 full-color, flat-panel displays. The new cockpit is lighter, uses
less electricity and sets the stage for the next generation of improvements, a "smart cockpit" under development that will make the cockpit even more user-friendly. Columbia is the second of NASA's four space shuttles to be fitted with the new "glass cockpit."

Columbia spent a year and a half at the Palmdale facility. Other improvements include weight reductions that have increased the amount of cargo Columbia can carry to orbit by hundreds of pounds. To save weight, almost 1,000 pounds of unused wire -- left over from equipment and sensors that were used on Columbia for only the first few space shuttle test flights -- were removed.

Because of wiring damage found in the shuttle fleet in 1999, comprehensive inspections of 95 percent of Columbia's more than 200 miles of wire were performed at Palmdale. To prevent such damage from recurring, technicians smoothed rough edges throughout the shuttle and encased wiring in high-traffic work areas in protective tubing. Such inspections and protective measures will be a regular feature of all future shuttle major maintenance.

Preliminary preparations were made that could allow Columbia to use a space station docking system, enabling it to join the rest of the shuttle fleet as a future courier to the
International Space Station if needed. In addition, Columbia's crew cabin floor was strengthened, the heat protection on its wings was enhanced and protection from
space debris was added to its cooling system, making it a safer spacecraft.

While Columbia was in California, technicians scoured the shuttle during months of intensive structural inspections, using the latest technology to check for even minute signs of fatigue, corrosion or broken rivets or welds.

Upon arrival at Kennedy, Columbia will begin preparations for its next trip into space, scheduled for this fall.

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