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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.
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.
Robert Crippen, U.S. astronaut who served as pilot on the first space shuttle flight. He also commanded three shuttle flights, including STS-7, on which Sally Ride became the first American woman in space, and STS-41-C, on which a satellite was first repaired in Earth orbit.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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. Commander John Young had exited the shuttle earlier, and is in view at the foot of the steps with George Abbey, director of flight operations at the Johnson Space ...
Robert Crippen was next Spacecraft Commander of STS 41-G Challenger, from October 5 to 13, 1984 (both takeoff and landing were at KSC). The seven-person crew on this mission remains the largest group to ever enter space in one vehicle.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Crippen became a NASA astronaut in September 1969. He was a member of the astronaut support crew for the Skylab 2, 3, and 4 missions, and served in this same capacity for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission, which was completed successfully in July 1975.
Spacecraft commander of Challenger STS-7, STS-41C, and STS-41G. Became deputy director in 1986 for the Space Shuttle Operations for NASA Headquarters at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Entered government service as the Space Shuttle director at NASA Headquarters in Washington D. C.
