>> first time i saw columbia and got close to it, my whole thought was, oh, my god, it's big. and this is going to go 17,500 miles per hour? >> more than 500,000 people crowded the beaches to witness the first space shuttle launch. >> t-minus 10, 9, 8, 7. 6, 5, 4 weaver gone for main engine start. >> we added the largest pop bottle rockets on the planet. when you light that puppy, it's going somewhere. >> america's first space shuttle. and the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> columbia, houston, you're going 40. >> in the mission control center, it's only after the fact that you get into orbit that your mouth drops and you calm down. you go, wow.