Aerospace: Shuttle firsts put to the test: After its near-perfect maiden flight, Columbia needs fine tuning for a trip that will highlight its remote arm and its first payload

Ten years of intricate development had ended in electrifying success. The world's first Space Shuttle had made it home to Edwards Air Force Base in California as effortlessly as any other airline shuttle. The Columbia had shown in a two-and-a-half-day flight from Cape Canaveral, Fla., last April 12 through 14 that it could be expected to carry payloads and workers into space and return safely to earth.