When it came to setting the launch date for In Exchange, there was a lot of discussion about the best day to launch on and the answer, it turns out, was very simple.
12th April
This particular date seems to have a lot of significance when it comes to space and our exploration of it, so we thought we’d thrill you all with some of the space-tastic events that have taken place over the years on 12th April.
Vostok 1
Vostok 1 was the first human spaceflight and saw Yuri Gargarin venture into the great blue yonder. Vostok 1 was launched on 12th April 1961. The Soviet Union managed to get a man into space before the USA, however, there was still the moon.
Space Shuttle Columbia
Columbia was launched for it’s first STS-1 mission on 12th April 1981. The mission launched from Edwards Air Force Base. Columbia was a shuttle in service for 22 years and completed 27 missions into space, though sadly, it’s 28th mission ended in disaster when it disintegrated during re-entry and killed the seven crew members aboard on 1st February 2003.
The seven crew members that perished were Rick Husband, Commander; William C. McCool, Pilot; Michael P. Anderson, Payload Commander/Mission Specialist 3; David M. Brown, Mission Specialist 1; Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist 2; Laurel Clark, Mission Specialist 4; and Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist 1.
Space Shuttle Discovery
On 12th April 1985 the Space Shuttle Discovery, with a crew of 7, launched on mission STS-51-D. It was the first flight of a sitting politician in space (Jake Garn) and launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Mightier Than the Sword UK Publications 
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