Space Shuttle Challenger

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 
 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 104.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 330. August.1983 STS-8 39-A Edwards Air Force Base First Night Launch and Landing 403. 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 BaseFirst on-orbit spacecraft repair. 6  STS-41-G 39-A  Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-3. 729.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-2 930.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-BDid 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

Category:1986 in the United States
Category:Florida
Challenger
Category:Former objects