Space Shuttle Discovery

**Space Shuttle Discovery** was the third orbiter of the Space Shuttle Program. It launched for the first time in March 1984.

## Missions

Discovery flew for 66 missions before it was retired.

* STS-13 (March 1984) (Hartsfield, Coats, Mullane, Hawley, Resnick, Walker) - Maiden flight of Discovery. [OTL STS-41-D]
* STS-15 (July 1984) (Bobko, Williams, Seddon, Griggs, Hoffman) - [June launch attempt like OTL 41-D]
* STS-17 (November 1984) (Hauck, Walker, Allen, Fisher, Gardner) - First time Shuttle deployed 2nd communication satellites. [OTL STS-51-A]
* STS-19 (March 1985) (Bobko, Williams, Seddon, Griggs, Hoffman, Baudry, Garn) - Brake damage, ruptured tire during landing. All subsequent landings at Edwards AFB until nose wheel steering implemented. [OTL STS-51-D]
* STS-21 (July 1985) (Fullerton, Bridges, Henize, Musgrave, England, Acton, Bartoe) - Helium-cooled infrared telescope, tested Coke and Pepsi in space. [OTL STS-51-F]
* STS-25 (November 1985) (Shaw, O'Connor, Ross, Cleave, Spring, Walker, Neri Vela, Peralta y Fabi) First two Mexicans to ride the Space Shuttle.  [OTL STS-61-B] [OTL STS-51-L]
* STS-27 (March 1986) (McBride, Richards, Leestma, Hoffman, Parker, Durrance) - ASTRO-1 mission, used to study Halley's Comet in conjunction with Halley Armada.
* STS-31 (July 1986) (Crippen, Guy Gardner, Mullane, Ross, David Gardner, Aldrige, Brett Watterson) - DOD mission. First to be flown from Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenburg AFB. First shuttle launched into polar orbit.
* STS-34 (November 1986) (Konrad, Covey) - First American journalist in space.
* STS-38 (March 1987) (Gaffney, Philips, MacLean) - First Spacelab Life Science mission.
* STS-42 (July 1987) (Brand, Gardner, Hoffman, Lounge, Parker, Durrance, Parise) - [OTL STS-26 mission]
* STS-45 (November 1987) (Mohri, Mukai) - Spacelab-J mission.
* STS-48 (March 1988) (Walker, Grabe, Lee, Thagard, Cleave) - Deployed Magellan probe (uses Centaur-G).
* STS-51 (July 1988) (Hughes-Fulford) - Second Spacelab Life Science mission.
* STS-54 (November 1988) (Coats, Blaha, Springer, Bagian, Buchli) - Shuttle Student Involvement Program Experiments: four live rats with bone removed to see space's effects on bone healing. 32 fertilized chicken eggs to see space's effects. Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element tested. [OTL STS-29]
* STS-58 (March 1989)
* STS-62 (July 1989)
* STS-66 (November 1989)
* STS-70 (March 1990)
* STS-74 (July 1990)
* STS-78 (November 1990)
* STS-82 (March 1991)
* STS-86 (July 1991)
* STS-90 (November 1991)
* STS-94 (March 1992)
* STS-98 (July 1992)
* STS-102 (November 1992)
* STS-106 (March 1993)
* STS-110 (July 1993)
* STS-114 (November 1993)
* STS-118 (March 1994)
* STS-122 (July 1994)
* STS-126 (November 1994) - First Element Launch of Space Station Freedom.
* STS-130 (March 1995) - Delivery of port node and racks, pressurized berthing station, cupola to *Freedom*
* STS-134 (July 1995) - Delivery of U.S. Laboratory Module to *Freedom*
* STS-138 (November 1995) (Cameron, Halsell, Hadfield, Ross, McArthur) - Fourth mission of the Shuttle-Mir program.
* STS-142 (March 1996) (Chilton, Searfoss, Sega, Clifford, Godwin, Lucid) - Fifth Shuttle-Mir mission.
* STS-146 (July 1996)
* STS-150 (November 1996)
* STS-154 (March 1997)
* STS-158 (July 1997)
* STS-162 (November 1997) (Kregel, Lindsey, Chawla, Scott, Doi, Kadenyuk, Yaroslav Pustovyi) [OTL STS-87]
* STS-166 (March 1998)
* STS-170 (July 1998)
* STS-175 (November 1999)
* STS-179 (March 2000)
* STS-183 (July 2000)
* STS-187 (November 2000)
* STS-191 (March 2001)
* STS-195 (July 2001)
* STS-199 (November 2001)
* STS-203 (March 2002)
* STS-207 (July 2002)
* STS-211 (November 2002)
* STS-215 (March 2003)
* STS-219 (July 2003)
* STS-223 (November 2003)
* STS-227 (March 2004)
* STS-231 (July 2004)
* STS-235 (November 2004)
* STS-239 (March 2005)
* STS-243 (July 2005)
* STS-247 (November 2005)
* STS-251 (March 2006)
* STS-255 (July 2006)
* STS-259 (November 2006) - Last Shuttle mission to the ISS, delivers the  crew.