LAUNCH - STS-1 - KSC

S81-30502 (12 April 1981) --- Space shuttle Columbia’s aft orbiter section dominates the field of view in this fifth frame of a dramatic liftoff sequence photographed from the 275-foot level of the Fixed Service Structures on Pad 39A. The seven-frame sequence documenting the space shuttle’s historic launch on its maiden voyage was taken with a Nikon camera equipped with a 28mm lens and a 250 exposure back. The camera was protected in a fire box. Photo credit: NASA