User:Omkar/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 US Navy ship which 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 Smith (40)
Judith Resnik (36)
Ellison Onizuka (39)
Ronald McNair (35)
Gregory Jarvis (41)
Christa McAuliffe, 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 perished.