Question by Sinfultom: A space race question?
While doing research for a physics presentation I found the dates for Yuri Gagarin‘s and the space shuttles maiden flight to be exactly 20 years apart (April 12 1961 & 1981). Is this a coincidence or was NASA trying to make some sort of message?
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Answer by Jonny B
I doubt it.. I know people at NASA and they dont care about that stuff.. they strive to meet goals and objectives and that is all they are interested.. launches happen during a window of opportunity not by a manmade schedule
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ziggle says
It was not intensional. The shuttle had been schedule to launch two days earlier, but there was a two day delay because of a computer problem. Here is a quote.
"As if by cosmic coincidence (the launch had to be slipped two days to fix a computer glitch), the US Space Shuttle's maiden voyage fell on April 12th 1981, exactly 20 years later. The ship was Columbia, and her crew for STS-1 (Space Transportation System, flight 1) was Commander John Young and Pilot Bob Crippen."
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Sniper says
This is pure coincidence. Though there was a Space Race between the US and Russia it only lasted until the Us put a man on the moon, something no other space faring country has been able to do.