Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Skanzte was named as a Payload specialist for the classified United States Department of Defense Space Shuttle mission STS-61-N, scheduled for launch on 4 September 1986. This mission was cancelled after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on 28 January 1986. Most of the crew (excluding Skantze and Frank J. Casserino) flew on mission STS-28 in 1989.