1986: Space shuttle makes a pit stop
On January 22, 1986, the Space Shuttle Columbia landed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for a refueling stop before heading for Texas, where they will spend the night and then head for Florida. January 22, 1986. Space shuttle Columbia visited Tucson twice in its long life — in January 1986 and January 1990. NASA's oldest shuttle rode atop a Boeing 747 transporter, which stopped at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to refuel on the way from California back to Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Shuttles Challenger and Atlantis also made piggyback pit stops at D-M over the years when returning to Florida. In June 1991, a planned stop by Columbia and its transporter was waved off due to extreme heat in Tucson. Higher temperatures reduce lift on any aircraft, requiring higher takeoff speeds and greater runway lengths.
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