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What made the shuttle so significant is that it is the world's first space cargo ship, capable of lofting into low-earth orbit up to 65,000 lbs. of satellites, scientific and military hardware and, perhaps most important of all, components for permanent bases in space. The shuttle makes it possible to move beyond the exploration of space to its exploitation for the world's benefit. Columbia 's distant successors, for example, might help set up gravity-free factories or large solar arrays that convert sunlight into electricity for earth. Said NASA's new boss, James Beggs: "With the shuttle and the other extensions of our intelligence that we have sent into space, we have begun a voyage of discovery that may never end."
None of these things will come easily. Throughout its long development, Columbia was plagued with troubles. The main engines failed repeatedly during test firings; many of the shuttle's 31,000 silica tiles, designed to shield the orbiter against the fiery heat of re-entry (up to 2,300° F), fell off during nothing more perilous .than the shuttle's piggyback cross-country ride atop a 747.
During the countdown for the second mission, some waxy gunk clogged two crucial auxiliary power units (NASA, it turned out, had neglected to change the oil). Then, shortly after another flawless takeoff, one of Columbia's three electrical generators developed a hitch. NASA cautiously curtailed the stay in space from a scheduled five days to only two.
In the end, all that was irrelevant. Columbia had flown. And Americans, witnesses to another landmark event in the 20-year history of man in space, could share the enthusiasm of Astronaut Bob Crippen, as he watched the earth recede:
"What a feeling! What a view!"