Shuttle orbiter Challenger (OV-099) joined

NASA’s fleet of reusable winged spaceships in

July 1982. It flew nine successful Space

Shuttle missions, more than any other orbiter.

On January 28, 1986, the Challenger and

its seven-member crew were lost 73 seconds

after launch when a booster failure resulted in

breakup of the vehicle.

Challenger started out as a high-fidelity

structural test article (STA-099). As part of the

Shuttle development program, it underwent 11

months of intensive vibration testing. Next, it

was modified at Rockwell International’s

Palmdale, Calif., plant under a contract that

called for Challenger’s conversion from test

vehicle to full operational status.

Spaceship Challenger was rolled out of

the Palmdale facility on June 30, 1982.

Ferried to the Kennedy Space Center, the

vehicle became the second orbiter in the

Shuttle fleet.

On April 4, 1983, Challenger blasted off

from Complex 39’s Pad A on its maiden space

voyage. On this flight, the sixth of the Space

Shuttle program, Challenger and its crew

carried the first Tracking and Data Relay

satellite.

Challenger’s missions also included: the

first night launch and landing of the Shuttle

program (STS-8), the first landing of the

Shuttle at Kennedy Space Center (41-B), and

the first in-orbit satellite capture and repair

operation (41-C). The ship also was used for

three Spacelab missions.

The orbiter Challenger became the

workhorse of the space fleet, completing 87

earth orbits and logging more than 69 cumulative days in space. A wide variety of commercial and scientific payloads was deployed from

its payload bay.

Sixty men and women served on Challenger crews, several logging repeat flights on

OV-099. The orbiter holds the record for the

largest crew (8) ever to fly in space on a single

mission (61-A, the D-1 German Spacelab

flight).

Other firsts were achieved with Challenger: the first spacewalk of the Shuttle

program (STS-6), the first American woman in

space (STS-7), the first flight of an African

American (STS-8), and the first untethered

spacewalks using the Manned Maneuvering

Units (41-B).

Challenger was named after an American

Naval research vessel that sailed the Atlantic

and Pacific oceans during the 1870s. The

Apollo 17 lunar module also carried the name

of Challenger. Like her historic predecessors,

Space Shuttle Challenger and her crews made

significant contributions to America’s scientific

growth.

Following the 51-L accident, a sevenmonth ocean salvage operation located and

recovered approximately 45 percent of the

orbiter. After analysis, the remnants were

transported to an abandoned Minuteman

missile complex on Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station in January 1987. There, in two silos

and adjacent rooms, they will remain in longterm storage.

Challenger (OV-099)
Flights of Challenger (OV-099)

(1983-1986)

Times

OV-99

Flown

Mission

Name Crew

Launch

Pad

Launch

Date

Landing Date

& Site Primary Payload

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

STS-6

STS-7

STS-8

STS-41-B

STS-41-C

STS-41-G

STS-51-B

STS-51-F

STS-61-A

STS-51-L

Weitz, Bobko, Peterson, Musgrave

Crippen, Hauck, Ride, Fabian, Thagard

Truly, Brandenstein, Bluford, Gardner, Thornton

Brand, Gibson, Stewart, McNair, McCandless

Crippen, Scobee, van Hoften, Nelson, Hart

Crippen, McBride, Sullivan, Ride, Leestma,

Garneau, Scully-Power

Overmyer, Gregory, Lind, Thagard, Thornton, van

den Berg, Wang

Fullelrton, Bridges, Musgrave, England, Henize,

Acton, Bartoe

Hartsfield, Nagel, Buchli, Bluford, dunbar, Furrer,

Ockels, Messerschmid

Scobee, Smith, McNair, Resnik, Onizuka, Jarvis,

McAuliffe

39A

39A

39A

39A

39A

39A

39A

39A

39A

39B

4/4/83

6/18/83

8/30/83

2/3/84

4/6/84

10/5/84

4/39/85

7/29/85

10/30/85

1/28/86

4/9/83 at Edwards

6/24/83 at Edwards

9/5/83 at Edwards

2/11/84 at KSC

4/13/84 at Edwards

10/13/84 at KSC

5/6/85 at Edwards

8/6/85 at Edwards

11/6/85 at Edwards

TDRS-1

Anik C-2/Palapa B-1

INSAT 1 B

Westar VI/Palapa B-2

Long Duration Exposure

Facility

ERBS/OSTA-3

Spacelab 3

Spacelab 2

Spacelab D-1

TDRS-B ----------------------