Space Shuttle Challenger

The Challenger explodes during takeoff in 1986

Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) was the second space shuttle used by NASA to fly into outer space. The shuttle broke up 73 seconds after take-off from Cape Canaveral on 28 January 1986.[1] All seven astronauts who were on it at the time were killed. The crash happened because a rubber tube called an o-ring did not expand to fill a gap in one of the booster rockets, due to cold weather.

The Challenger was named after a Royal Navy ship that explored the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from 1872 to 1876. Challenger was also the name of the Apollo 17 Lunar Excursion Module.

Crew

Challenger astronauts

Missions

# Date Designation Launch pad Landing location Notes
1 04.April.1983 STS-6 39-A Edwards Air Force Base First Shuttle Space Walk
2 .18.June.1983 STS-7 39-A Edwards Air Force Base First U.S. Woman in Space
3 30. August.1983 STS-8 39-A Edwards Air Force Base First Night Launch and Landing
4 03. February.1984 STS-41-B 39-A Kennedy Space Center First KSC Landing
5 06.April.1984 STS-41-C 39-A Edwards Air Force Base First on-orbit spacecraft repair.
6 05.October.84 STS-41-G 39-A Kennedy Space Center Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-3.
7 29.April.1985 STS-51-B 39-A Edwards Air Force Base Spacelab-3
8 29. July.1985 STS-51-F 39-A Edwards Air Force Base Spacelab-2
9 30.October.1985 STS-61-A 39-A Edwards Air Force Base D-1 Spacelab Mission (First German Dedicated Spacelab)
10 28 January 1986 STS-51-L 39-B Did not land(Planned to land at Kennedy Space Center) TDRS-2; SPARTAN-203 Satellites. Shuttle destroyed after liftoff & all seven astronauts on board died.

References

  1. ↑ "Space Today Online - Space Shuttle Stories". spacetoday.org. Retrieved 19 November 2010.