The STS-1 mission launched NASA astronauts John W. Young and Robert Crippen into space for a 54.4 hour, 36 orbit test flight of Space Shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981. | Space.com

In January 1967, audio was recorded during a routine ground test of the Apollo 1 spacecraft at Launch Complex 34. The recording comes from NASA’s ground communication loop, capturing radio transmissions between the capsule and mission control. The test ended when a sudden fire broke out inside the sealed capsule, leading to the loss of the three-man crew. The audio preserves the final moments of communication and was later used by investigators to understand how quickly the incident unfolded. Th