Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Recycling Columbia

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for November 15, 2001 is “Recycling Columbia,” an image. It is credited to Credit: STS-50, NASA. The original explanation runs about 191 words.

Recycling Columbia
Credit: STS-50, NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Twenty years ago this week, the Space Shuttle Columbia became the first reusable spaceship . Its second trip to low Earth orbit and back again began on November 12, 1981, following its maiden voyage by only seven months.”

— APOD editors, November 15, 2001

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
November 15, 2001
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: STS-50, NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 191 words

All of November 2001 → · 2001 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

On this day: November 15 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.