Monday, May 18, 2026

Question: Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base was closely associated with which iconic NASA program?

Answer: Edwards Air Force Base was a major landing site for NASA’s Space Shuttle program. The first shuttle mission, Columbia’s STS-1 flight with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen, landed there on April 14, 1981, after more than two days in orbit. Crowds estimated as high as 300,000 watched the historic touchdown. In total, Edwards hosted 54 shuttle landings before the program ended in 2011.