April 12, 1961: Yuri Gagarin launches into orbit aboard Vostok 1 to become the first human being to travel into space. April 12, 1981: Space Shuttle Columbia proudly soars into the early-morning sky over Central Florida to a) become the first-ever reusable spacecraft, b) the first spacecraft to launch like a rocket and return like a plane, and c) inaugurate the Space Shuttle Program – a program that has served manned space exploration for 60 percent of these past 50 years and has been responsible for launching more humans into space than any other vehicle.
