Space Shuttle Challenger

Space Shuttles
Enterprise * Columbia * Challenger * Discovery * Atlantis * Endeavour

Shuttle Orbiter Challenger (NASA Designation: OV-99) was a Space Shuttle orbiter. Challenger was the second shuttle orbiter to be placed into service (after Columbia) and was constructed using a body frame (STA-099) that had initially been produced for use as a test article. Its maiden voyage was on April 4, 1983, and made eight subsequent round trips to low earth orbit before it was destroyed during launch for its tenth mission, mission 51-L.

The explosion which destroyer it was investigated by a presidential commission (the "Rogers Commission"), which was composed of William P. Rogers (chairman), Neil Armstrong (vice chairman), David C. Acheson, Eugene E. Covert, Richard Feynman, Robert B. Hotz, Major General Donald J. Kutyna, Sally Ride, Robert W. Rummel, Joseph F. Sutter, Arthur B. C. Walker, Jr, Albert D. Wheelon, Brigadier General]] Chuck Yeager, and Alton G. Keel, Jr (executive director).

Table of contents

1 Flights
2 Related articles
3 External links

Flights

Space Shuttle Challenger flew 10 flights, spent 62.41-days in space, completed 995 orbits, and flew 25,803,940 miles in total, including its final mission.

Date Designation Notes
1983 April 4 STS-6 Deployed TDRS-1.
First spacewalk during a space shuttle mission.
1983 June 18 STS-7 Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space.
Deployed 2 communications satellites.
1983 August 30 STS-8 Guion Bluford becomes first African-American in space
First shuttle night launch and night landing.
Deployed Insat-1B.

1984 February 3 STS-41-B First untethered spacewalk.
Deployed 2 communications satellites, unsuccessfully.
1984 April 6 STS-41-C Solar Max service mission.
1984 October 5 STS-41-G First mission to carry two women.
Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes first American woman to make a spacewalk.
Deployed Earth Radiation Budget Satellite.
1985 April 29 STS-51-B Carried Spacelab-3
1985 July 29 STS-51-F Carried Spacelab-2
1985 October 30 STS-61-A Carried German Spacelab D-1
1986 January 28 STS-51-L Shuttle destroyed during launch and all seven astronauts on board killed.