This first space shuttle concluded its maiden voyage on April 14, 1981
The first launch of the Space Shuttle occurred on 12 April 
1981, exactly 20 years after the first manned space flight, when the orbiter 
Columbia... [DOC] [TLE] April 14, 1981: Columbia space shuttle returns to Earth after first flight [PAR] Apr 14, 2016 ... Thirty-five years ago, NASA's first space shuttle returned to Earth, ... Base, Calif., 
to conclude STS-1, the first orbital shuttle mission on April 14, 1981.