Second launch of Space Shuttle Columbia - 1981 CBS live broadcast

CBS coverage of the second launch of U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia (mission STS-2) on November 12, 1981, including bumpers and commercials. Recorded on Betamax from WBNS 10TV in Columbus, Ohio.

[@eddiekulp1241]

Columbia deserved to be in a museum like the other shuttles

[@Quantanthead]

I was in Navy Bootcamp in Orlando, Florida and remembered being able to see this live. What I mostly saw was the smoke stream during the assent. You could barely see the actual space shuttle itself. It's nice to see it again.

[@ryan-yw9dy]

Apollo 12 was launched on this day in 1969.

[@ryan-yw9dy]

STS 2 had only rookies. But this was the only mission in shuttle history to only have two rookies who hadn't been in space before. This was a 1st in the space program to only have two rookies on a space mission.

[@altfactor]

Joe Engle would have been the lunar module pilot on Apollo 17, but after the cancellation of Apollos 18 and 19, scientist-astronaut Jack Schmitt (a geologist), who had been scheduled to fly on Apollo 18, bumped Engle off of the Apollo 17 crew, denying him the chance to go to the moon. But Engle stayed in the program and got command of the second space shuttle flight, finally going into space in the fall of 1981, fifteen years after being selected as an astronaut and nine years after what would have been his moon flight.

[@joshkusiak7613]

The first time a space craft went up in space twice historical more then the first

[@doginstine]

+Josh Kusiak Gemini 2 spacecraft was use launched twice into space. One to test Gemini and another for the MOL test flight.

[@ryan-yw9dy]

@@doginstine And the only flight with two rookies onboard.

[@Tramseskumbanan]

ryan 1981 and the same ascent capcom as the previous flight.

[@Zoomer30]

That white tank sure was sharp looking. Really made it easy to see the ship as it flew away. Xould also really see the burn marks that the SRB sep motors caused.

[@johnjones3813]

I liked the white tank too. I heard they stopped because the white paint added weight and wasn't necessary.

[@ylette]

Love the giant count down clock.

[@johnjones3813]

Reminds me of Armageddon.

[@GumballAstronaut7206]

Yeah….too bad they got rid of it…. BUT HEY at least they put it in the visitor center, where i got to take a peak of :)

[@robadams8057]

When they came back from the first commercial break I hated the music, but the graphics were pretty cool. "Space Shuttle II."

[@BLACKAAROW]

word, i've always loved those retro 80's graphics....nice blend of old and new tech. even tho this was 1981, the news coverage, commercials, and even the way people looked and dressed looked like they were still in the 1960's. i wish i was alive during the 80's to witness stuff like this :(

[@johnjones3813]

​@@BLACKAAROW I was, and the 80s was so fun.

[@BLACKAAROW]

@@johnjones3813 you’re a lucky dude lol, I was born in ‘94 so at least I got to live through the 90’s at least haha

[@johnlorenz4190]

Her words, "I don't think it's an Orbiter problem". She probably had NO idea how correct she would be in future years. The Space Shuttle Orbiter has NEVER failed, as designed. Challenger, SRB and ET failure. Columbia, ET insulation failure, causing damage to the Orbiter. If the builders of the SRB's and ET had their shit together, neither disasters would have happened. Although, NASA, is at ultimately at fault for sending them "good enough", send it.

[@GamerComeDies]

looking at Columbia 22 years before

[@wadewilson524]

A little off subject, but $187 for a 10 inch color portable tv (commercial at 4:40) was a heck of a lot of money in 1981. Today $187 will get you a pretty nice and big flat LCD TV.

[@RJY4356]

Wonderful footage...wish it had gone a few more minutes until MECO and the instant launch replays start. Can you upload that footage?

[@cc213t]

Unfortunately, there's nothing further on the tape.

[@robadams8057]

Anybody know what that "master alarm" was about shortly after launch? Houston said to just ignore it, but it sounds serious.

[@Zoomer30]

Pretty sure it was the fuel cell failure. I read a story about the ECCOM on this launch was telling the flight director calmly on the loop that the fuel cell needed to be shut down. The FD was not acting urgent about it the ECCOM was not getting through to him. He finally turned around and yelled to the FD off the loop (which was a bit of a no-no) "THIS IS THE KABOOM CASE FLIGHT!" and finally got the FDs full attention. He did not get in trouble. It was a serious issue, the fuel cell could have exploded.

[@mfgt4595]

Most were cocky and complacent back then. You prove my point. White elephant. Should of stayed with a capsule, but too many had watched star trek!

[@DustinBruce31]

Damn the day before I turned 2 months old...

[@angelasewell3785]

i like the 17:35 part it so cool

[@jupitorman]

I am sure thay started to have foam loss due not painting the external tank

[@DeepDeepSpace]

They stopped painting it because paint chips were flying off and striking the orbiter.

[@skyprop]

Gotta love Dan Rather Back in these Days

[@ccchhhrrriiisss100]

After watching this, I am reminded that Dan Rather was a terrible news anchor. For his era, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw were so much better!

[@johnjones3813]

Brocaw has a speech impediment, puzzling how that guy became an anchor.

[@fred36956]

@@johnjones3813 Brokaw also kept calling the shuttle crew compartment a capsule which it obviously was not. It was a cockpit like any air plane.

[@cjohnson2506]

t- 9.00 and holding

[@johnjones3813]

4:49 Wow, there's liquid soap now? What will mankind come up with next?

[@anonnomus6070]

Why couldn't you cut out the commercials before you posted this?

[@cc213t]

Thought it was more interesting to keep the bumpers and commercials as originally aired. Can't please everyone.

[@SuperTrainStationH]

Absolutely not. The full historical context of the broadcast is valuable.

[@johnjones3813]

The commercials are great. Time capsule.

[@johnjones3813]

​@@cc213t Agreed.

[@cjohnson2506]

you all redey sed that

[@rekenney100]

Back when we knew how to do the amazing. Thank God the Democrats have taught us to be austere and timid.

[@JohnHillRSNStudios]

Kennedy and Johnson (Democrats) fully for the Apollo program Nixon (Republican) cancelled Apollo program Carter (Democrat) supported Shuttle program Reagan (Republican) would have lived to cut the shuttle program but thanks to Carter it was too far along to cut and he found out that he could have his Star Wars program delivered by said shuttle. You were saying?

[@JohnHillRSNStudios]

I’ll even go one further: Gore (Democrat) has proposed the adoption of a feasible replacement for the shuttle but thanks to Bush/Cheney (Republicans) they nixed that.

[@johnjones3813]

I thought Republicans hated government spending. The Shuttle was incredibly expensive. Most of what they did could have been done at a fraction of the cost with rockets.

[@johnjones3813]

​@@JohnHillRSNStudios My heart rips apart when Gore is mentioned. That 2000 election doomed us.