Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing on Edwards AFB. A launch attempt 2 days earlier was scrubbed because of a timing problem in one of the Columbia's general purpose computers.

First orbital test flight of the Space Shuttle; evaluate and verify of Shuttle hardware and software systems. The only payload carried on the mission was a Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) package which contained sensors and measuring devices to record orbiter performance and the stresses that occurred during launch, ascent, orbital flight, descent and landing.

John Young became the first astronaut, who performed five missions.