Dragon Models USA

Barcode: 0 89195 56371 2
Case pack: 24 Pieces per carton
Box Size: 7.3" x 3.7" x 3.5"

Features:
- Highly detailed
- True to 1/400
- Highly collectible
- High quality diecast construction
- New stand for vertical display

The Space Shuttle fleet may have been retired by NASA, but Dragon is re-launching all the craft in miniature form! Although not the first Space Shuttle to be built, Columbia holds the distinction of being the first to fly into space. Designated by NASA as OV-102, its maiden launch occurred on 12 April 1981. In all, the craft spent some 300 days in space, orbited the Earth an astonishing 4,808 times, and traveled more than 200 million kilometers! Columbia performed 27 successful flights before the 28th ended in disaster on 1 February 2003. During re-entry after a 16-day mission, damage to the heat-resistant surface of a wing leading edge resulted in destruction of the wing and the breakup of the entire craft. All seven crewmembers perished in the incident. This second fatal accident ultimately led to the decision to retire the Space Shuttle fleet in 2010.

The 1/400 scale model is finely detailed. It comes complete with the large External Tank (ET) and the two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) that provided 83% of the thrust needed to launch the Orbiter into space for the very first time in 1981. The complete system for this maiden manned test flight was known as STS-1. For convenient display, the model rests on a new stand. Thus, STS-1 can be vertically displayed as it appeared at launch from Pad A, Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Centre. This was the opening chapter of the Space Shuttle program, and collectors can commemorate Columbia with this fine model.