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Robert Laurel Crippen (born September 11, 1937) is an American retired naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and retired astronaut. He traveled into space four times: as pilot of STS-1 in April 1981, the first Space Shuttle mission; and as commander of STS-7 in June 1983, STS-41-C in April 1984, and STS-41-G in October 1984.
Robert Crippen (born September 11, 1937, Beaumont, Texas, U.S.) is a U.S. astronaut who served as pilot on the first space shuttle orbital flight. Crippen graduated from the University of Texas, Austin, with a degree in aerospace engineering in 1960.
Jun 18, 2024 · Robert L. Crippen, pilot (right), and John W. Young, commander (left), were the prime crew for the first flight in the Space Transportation System (STS-1) program. From January 1990 to January 1992 he served as Director, Space Shuttle, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Apr 12, 2021 · Astronaut Robert Crippen, pilot for the STS-1 flight, exits space shuttle Columbia following touchdown on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base in California, on April 14, 1981.
Apr 12, 2021 · 40 Years Ago: Columbia Takes Flight! Following the first launch attempt, halted by a computer glitch, STS-1 astronauts Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen lifted off on April 12, 1981, aboard space shuttle Columbia, ushering in a new era of reusable spacecraft.
Pilot & Astronaut. Enshrined: 2016. Birth: September 11, 1937. Robert L. Crippen. Served as an attack pilot with the fleet Squadron VA-72, flying the A-4 Skyhawk on the aircraft carrier USS Independence from June 1962 to November 1964.
Apr 7, 2021 · Interview with STS-1 Pilot Robert L. Crippen, April 7, 2021. When the spotlights came on in the predawn hours of April 12, 1981, they illuminated a spacecraft like no other: the Space Shuttle.