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. 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

• Francis "Dick" Scobee (46)
• Michael John Smith (40)
• Judith Resnik (36)
• Ellison Onizuka (39)
• Ronald McNair (35)
• Gregory Jarvis (41)
• Christa McAuliffe (37), first teacher in space

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.

Space Shuttle Challenger Media

• 

  Challenger being prepared in 1985 for its penultimate flight, STS-61-A

• 

  Challenger atop a Crawler-transporter, en route to the launch site for its final flight, STS-51-L

• 

  Challenger being transported by Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 905, shortly before being delivered in 1982

• 

  STS-6 Crew Insignia

• 

  Mission patch for the STS-7 mission.

• 

  STS-8 INSIGNIA --- The night launch of Challenger heading toward *its third earth-orbital mission is featured in the official insignia for *STS-8. The eighth flight of the United States Space Transportation Sy

• 

  • Beschreibung: Emblem der de:Space Shuttle Mission de:STS-41-B
• 

  The patch features a helmet visor of an astronaut performing an extravehicular activity. In the visor are reflected the sun's rays, the Challenger and its remote manipulator system (RMS) deploying the long duration exposure facility (LDEF), the Earth and blue sky, and another astronaut working at the damaged Solar Maximum Satellite (SMS). The scene is encircled by the surnames of the crewmembers.