1983 Lithograph "First Nine Space Shuttle Orbital Flight Crews"

1983 Lithograph "First Nine Space Shuttle Orbital Flight Crews" is a vintage Lithographs / Prints artifact by NASA / Johnson Space Center (JSCCL) from 1983, preserved in The Record Institute Ephemera Archive.

Category: Lithographs / Prints

Brand: NASA / Johnson Space Center (JSCCL)

Year: 1983

Rarity Class: B

Last updated: October 4, 2026

This double-sided informational sheet, designated JSCCL-102, serves as a visual timeline of the Space Shuttle program’s crucial transitional years. By presenting the crews of STS-1 through STS-9 alongside detailed verso cataloging, the artifact captures the rapid evolution from two-person experimental test flights to large-scale, multi-disciplinary orbital missions.

Quick Read

Era of Transition: Documents the critical shift from early two-man test flights (STS-1 to 4) to operational, multi-specialist crews (STS-5 to 9). Suit Evolution: Visually captures the transition from heavy, gold high-altitude ejection suits to standard blue flight suits. Historic Milestones: Includes the portrait and text listing of Sally K. Ride (first American woman in space) and Guion S. Bluford, Jr. (first African American in space). Origin: Produced by NASA, explicitly coded "JSCCL-102" (likely Johnson Space Center), circa late 1983 based on photo catalog numbers. Detailed Provenance: The reverse features a precise index, providing official NASA photo reference numbers for every image on the front.

Summary

This double-sided informational sheet, designated JSCCL-102, serves as a visual timeline of the Space Shuttle program’s crucial transitional years. By presenting the crews of STS-1 through STS-9 alongside detailed verso cataloging, the artifact captures the rapid evolution from two-person experimental test flights to large-scale, multi-disciplinary orbital missions.

A vintage, double-sided NASA lithograph sheet featuring ten full-color panels on the front: nine photographic portraits of the first nine Space Shuttle orbital flight crews (STS-1 through STS-9) and one photograph of a Space Shuttle launching. The reverse side features a black-and-white grid of corresponding text boxes detailing the mission numbers, crew member names, and official NASA photograph catalog numbers for each image. The bottom right corner of the reverse bears the code "JSCCL-102".