7. In 1981, the United States developed the world's first space shuttle, the “$\qquad$”号, which successfully completed its first manned space flight test.
A. Houston
B. New York
C. Columbia
D. Apollo

Note: The Chinese character "号" in the blank should be replaced with the corresponding English name, which is "Columbia" in this context. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Columbia.
【Answer】C
【Analysis】At the beginning of 1981, after ten years of research and development, the "Columbia" was finally built. On April 12, 1981, the United States successfully launched the world's first space shuttle, the "Columbia." It was named after the first American ship to circumnavigate the Earth in the early 18th century. It was the first spacecraft designed to transport astronauts and equipment between space and Earth, and it was the first operational space shuttle in U.S. history. Its first mission was to test its orbital flight and landing capabilities. The "Columbia" has a large triangular wing shape, with a cabin length of 18 meters, capable of carrying 36 tons of cargo, and the entire assembly weighs about 2000 tons. During its flight, it can perform a lateral maneuver of 2000 kilometers to select an appropriate landing site. On April 12, 1981, two astronauts, John Young and Robert Crippen, boarded the spacecraft, beginning the first flight test in the U.S. space flight program. The flight lasted 54 hours, and the "Columbia" orbited the Earth 37 times. This flight was referred to by NASA as the "boldest test flight in history." Finally, the "Columbia" landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base. Unfortunately, the "Columbia" met the same fate as the "Challenger." On the morning of February 1, 2003, the "Columbia" space shuttle disintegrated and crashed over northern Texas, resulting in the death of all seven astronauts on board.