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Columbia was named after the American sloop Columbia Rediviva which, from 1787 to 1793, under the command of Captain Robert Gray, explored the US Pacific Northwest and became the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe. It is also named after the command module of Apollo 11, the first crewed landing on another celestial body. Columbia was also the female symbol of the United States. After construction, the orbiter arrived at Kennedy Space Center on March 25, 1979, to prepare for its first launch. Columbia was originally scheduled to lift off in late 1979, however the launch date was delayed by problems with both the RS-25 engine, as well as the thermal protection system. The first flight of Columbia was commanded by John Young, a veteran from the Gemini and Apollo programs who was the ninth person to walk on the Moon in 1972, and piloted by Robert Crippen, a rookie astronaut originally selected to fly on the military's Manned Orbital Laboratory spacecraft, but transferred to NASA after its cancellation, and served as a support crew member for the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz missions. Columbia spent 610 days in the Orbiter Processing Facility, another 35 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building, and 105 days on Pad 39A before finally lifting off. It was successfully launched on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of the first human spaceflight (Vostok 1), and returned on April 14, 1981, after orbiting the Earth 36 times, landing on the dry lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California. It then undertook three further research missions to test its technical characteristics and performance. Its first operational mission, with a four-man crew, launched on November 11, 1982. At this point Columbia was joined by Challenger, which flew the next three shuttle missions, while Columbia underwent modifications for the first Spacelab mission. In 1983, Columbia, under the command of John Young on what was his sixth spaceflight, undertook its second operational mission, in which the Spacelab science laboratory and a six-person crew was carried, including the first non-American astronaut on a space shuttle, Ulf Merbold. After the flight, it spent 18 months at the Rockwell Palmdale facility beginning in January 1984, undergoing modifications that removed the Orbiter Flight Test hardware and updating it to similar specifications as those of its sister orbiters.

Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to make use of an interplanetary gravitational slingshot maneuver, using Venus to bend its flight path and bring its perihelion down to the level of Mercury's orbit. This maneuver, inspired by the orbital mechanics calculations of the Italian scientist Giuseppe Colombo, put the spacecraft into an orbit that repeatedly brought it back to Mercury. Mariner 10 used the solar radiation pressure on its solar panels and its high-gain antenna as a means of attitude control during flight, the first spacecraft to use active solar pressure control. The components on Mariner 10 can be categorized into four groups based on their common function. The solar panels, power subsystem, attitude control subsystem, and the computer kept the spacecraft operating properly during the flight. The navigational system, including the hydrazine rocket, would keep Mariner 10 on track to Venus and Mercury. Several scientific instruments would collect data at the two planets. Finally, the antennas would transmit this data to the Deep Space Network back on Earth, as well as receive commands from Mission Control. Mariner 10's various components and scientific instruments were attached to a central hub, which was roughly the shape of an octagonal prism. The hub stored the spacecraft's internal electronics. The Mariner 10 spacecraft was manufactured by Boeing. NASA set a strict limit of US$98 million for Mariner 10's total cost, which marked the first time the agency subjected a mission to an inflexible budget constraint. No overruns would be tolerated, so mission planners carefully considered cost efficiency when designing the spacecraft's instruments. Cost control was primarily accomplished by executing contract work closer to the launch date than was recommended by normal mission schedules, as reducing the length of available work time increased cost efficiency. Despite the rushed schedule, very few deadlines were missed. The mission ended up about US$1 million under budget.

Le système de contrôle d'attitude de la sonde a une défaillance en cours de mission. Les ingénieurs décident alors d'utiliser la pression des photons sur les panneaux solaires pour maintenir l'orientation de la sonde en limitant ainsi la quantité de carburant qui est nécessaire pour permettre aux propulseurs d'effectuer les corrections d'orientation nécessaires. À l'origine, Mariner 10 doit survoler Vénus et étudier son atmosphère (composition, structure, pression) et ses nuages, mais lors de la planification de sa trajectoire, les ingénieurs de la NASA se rendent compte qu'avec quelques ajustements, la sonde peut atteindre Mercure. Mariner 10 est le septième lancement réussi du programme Mariner. Le véhicule spatial vole trois fois vers Mercure sur une orbite héliocentrique rétrograde et restitue des images et des données sur la planète. Mariner 10 renvoie les toutes premières images en gros plan de Vénus et de Mercure. Les principaux objectifs scientifiques de la mission sont de mesurer les caractéristiques de l’environnement, de l’atmosphère, de la surface et du centre de la planète Mercure et de mener des recherches similaires sur Vénus. Les objectifs secondaires sont de réaliser des expériences dans le milieu interplanétaire et d'acquérir de l'expérience dans le cadre d'une mission d'assistance gravitationnelle sur deux planètes.

O programa Voyager consiste de um par de sondas, a Voyager 1 e a Voyager 2. Elas foram lançadas em 1977 aproveitando um alinhamento planetário favorável. Apesar de terem sido oficialmente planejadas para estudar apenas Júpiter e Saturno, as duas sondas foram capazes de continuar sua missão no sistema solar exterior. Ambas alcançaram a velocidade de escape do sistema solar e nunca mais voltarão, e ambas, ainda operacionais, vêm reunindo grandes quantidades de dados sobre os gigantes gasosos do sistema solar, dos quais pouco era conhecido anteriormente. Em 13 de dezembro de 2010, depois de meses à espera da confirmação dos dados, a NASA anunciou que a Voyager 1, viajando a uma velocidade de 17 km/s, havia em junho deste ano alcançado a zona de heliopausa, tornando-se o primeiro artefato humano a chegar à fronteira do Sistema Solar. No dia 12 de Setembro de 2013 a NASA confirmou que a Voyager 1 deixou portanto o Sistema Solar. O programa Viking consistiu de um par de sondas espaciais enviadas a Marte, a Viking 1 e a Viking 2. Cada veículo era composto de duas partes principais, uma projetada para fotografar a superfície a partir de órbita, e outra para estudar o planeta na superfície. A Viking 1 foi lançada em 20 de agosto, e a Viking 2, no dia 9 de setembro de 1975, ambas através de foguetes Titan III-E com estágios superiores Centaur. Os orbitadores, baseados na Mariner 9, foram criados na forma de um octágono de aproximadamente 2,5 m de diâmetro e massa total de lançamento de 2 328 kg, dos quais 1 445 kg eram carburante e gás de controle de altitude. Os objetivos principais dos orbitadores Viking foram o transporte das sondas de superfície a Marte, a realização do reconhecimento de locais de possível pouso, a atuação como ponte de comunicação para as sondas de superfície e a realização de suas próprias investigações científicas. Os landers (veículos de solo) pesavam cerca de 650 kg, incluindo combustível e equipamentos para estudos biológicos, químicos, geológicos, meteorológicos e outros, além de enviarem mais de 57 mil fotografias da superfície marciana.

Construction began on Columbia in 1975 at Rockwell International's principal assembly facility in Palmdale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles

Dzięki wykorzystaniu manewrów asysty grawitacyjnej podczas mijania planet, czas przelotu do Neptuna lub Plutona zostałby przy tym skrócony o około 20 lat w stosunku do lotu bezpośredniego. NASA początkowo planowała zrealizować projekt Grand Tour (Wielka Wyprawa), który przewidywał skonstruowanie czterech sond. Pierwsze dwie sondy wystrzelone w 1977 roku przeleciałyby kolejno obok Jowisza, Saturna i Plutona. Druga para sond wystrzelona w 1979 roku zbliżyłaby się do Jowisza, Urana i Neptuna. Jednak koszt takiej misji, wynoszący około miliarda dolarów, przerósł ówczesne możliwości NASA. Nie zaniechano jednak badania zewnętrznych planet. Skromniejszy program zaczęto realizować w 1972 roku. Początkowo miał on być kontynuacją programu Mariner (loty 11 i 12, określane też jako program Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977). W marcu 1977 roku nazwę zmieniono na program Voyager. Celem misji miał być Jowisz i Saturn, jednak zachowano możliwość skierowania jednej z sond do wszystkich czterech planet olbrzymów. Sondy zostały zbudowane w Jet Propulsion Laboratory w Pasadenie. Do każdej z nich został dołączony Voyager Golden Record, na którym zapisane są pozdrowienia wypowiadane w 55 językach, muzyka oraz dźwięki i obrazy przedstawiające różnorodność życia i kultury na Ziemi.

Columbia was named after the American sloop Columbia Rediviva which, from 1787 to 1793, under the command of Captain Robert Gray, explored the US Pacific Northwest and became the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe. It is also named after the command module of Apollo 11, the first crewed landing on another celestial body. Columbia was also the female symbol of the United States. After construction, the orbiter arrived at Kennedy Space Center on March 25, 1979, to prepare for its first launch. Columbia was originally scheduled to lift off in late 1979, however the launch date was delayed by problems with both the RS-25 engine, as well as the thermal protection system. The first flight of Columbia was commanded by John Young, a veteran from the Gemini and Apollo programs who was the ninth person to walk on the Moon in 1972, and piloted by Robert Crippen, a rookie astronaut originally selected to fly on the military's Manned Orbital Laboratory spacecraft, but transferred to NASA after its cancellation, and served as a support crew member for the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz missions. Columbia spent 610 days in the Orbiter Processing Facility, another 35 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building, and 105 days on Pad 39A before finally lifting off. It was successfully launched on April 12, 1981, the 20th anniversary of the first human spaceflight (Vostok 1), and returned on April 14, 1981, after orbiting the Earth 36 times, landing on the dry lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California. It then undertook three further research missions to test its technical characteristics and performance. Its first operational mission, with a four-man crew, launched on November 11, 1982. At this point Columbia was joined by Challenger, which flew the next three shuttle missions, while Columbia underwent modifications for the first Spacelab mission. In 1983, Columbia, under the command of John Young on what was his sixth spaceflight, undertook its second operational mission, in which the Spacelab science laboratory and a six-person crew was carried, including the first non-American astronaut on a space shuttle, Ulf Merbold. After the flight, it spent 18 months at the Rockwell Palmdale facility beginning in January 1984, undergoing modifications that removed the Orbiter Flight Test hardware and updating it to similar specifications as those of its sister orbiters.