Space Shuttle Challenger

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{{Infobox Space Shuttle | name =Challenger| image = Challenger Launch.jpg| caption = Challenger launches, STS-51-L| contract =[26 July 1972| first_flight =[STS-6 [1983 – 9 April 1983| last_date =[28 January 1986-->

Space Shuttle Challenger ([NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Space Shuttle Columbia being the first. Its maiden flight was on April 4, 1983, and it completed nine missions before disintegrating 73 seconds after the launch of its tenth mission, on January 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members. (For more on the Challenger disaster, see Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.) Challenger was replaced by the space shuttle Space Shuttle Endeavour which made its first flight in 1992, six years after the disaster.

History Challenger was named after HMS Challenger (1858), a British corvette which carried out a Challenger expedition in the 1870s.

Construction The shuttle was constructed using a body frame (STA- 099) that had initially been built as a test article. STA-099 was not originally intended for spaceflight, but NASA found that recycling it would be less expensive than refitting the test shuttle Space Shuttle Enterprise (OV-101) to be spaceworthy, as originally planned.

Challenger (and the orbiters built after it) had fewer tiles in its Space shuttle thermal protection system than Space Shuttle Columbia. Most of the tiles on the payload bay doors, upper wing surface and rear fuselage surface were replaced with DuPont white nomex felt insulation. This modification allowed Challenger to carry 1130 kg (2500 lb) more payload than Columbia. Challenger was also the first orbiter to have a heads-up display system similar to those found in military and newer civilian aircraft. This system eliminated the need to look at the instrument panel during descent and allowed the crew to concentrate more on flying.

Flights and modifications After its first flight, Challenger quickly became the workhorse of NASA's Space Shuttle fleet, flying far more missions per year than Columbia. In 1983 and 1984, Challenger flew on 85% of all Space Shuttle list of space shuttle missions. Even when the orbiters Space Shuttle Discovery and Space Shuttle Atlantis joined the fleet, Challenger remained in heavy use with three missions a year from 1983-85. Challenger, along with Discovery, was modified at John F. Kennedy Space Center to be able to carry the Centaur (rocket) upper-stage in its payload bay. Had STS-51-L been successful, Challenger's next mission would have been the deployment of the Ulysses probe with the Centaur to study the polar regions of the Sun.

Challenger's many spaceflight accomplishments included the first American woman, African-American, and Canadian in space, three Spacelab missions, and the first night launch and landing of a Space Shuttle. Challenger was also the first space shuttle to be destroyed in an accident during a mission. The collected debris of the vessel are currently stored in decommissioned missile silos at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. From time to time, further pieces of debris from the orbiter wash up on the Florida coast.CNN - Shuttle Challenger debris washes up on shore - Dec. 17, 1996 When this happens, they are collected and transported to the silos for storage. Because of her early loss, Challenger was the only space shuttle that never wore the NASA NASA logo.

{| class="wikitable"|-! Date! Designation! Launch pad! Landing location! Notes|-| 1983 April 4| 39-A| [Edwards Airforce Base during a space shuttle mission.|-| [1983 June 18| 39-A| [Edwards Airforce Base becomes first American woman in space.
Deployed two communications satellites.|-| [1983 August 30| 39-A| [Edwards Airforce Base becomes first African-American in space
First shuttle night launch and night landing.
Deployed Insat-1B.
|-| [1984 February 3| 39-A| [Kennedy Space Center.
Deployed two communications satellites, unsuccessfully.|-| [1984 April 6| 39-A| [Edwards Airforce Base service mission.|-| [1984 October 5| 39-A| [Kennedy Space Center become first Canadian in space.
[Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes first American woman to make a spacewalk.
Deployed Earth Radiation Budget Satellite.] April 29| 39-A| [Edwards Airforce Base-3|-| [1985 July 29| 39-A| [Edwards Airforce Base-2|-| [1985 October 30| 39-A| [Edwards Airforce Base D-1|-| [1986 [January 28| 39-B| Did not land (Planned to land at KSC)| Shuttle disintegrates after launch, killing all seven astronauts on board. Was to have deployed TDRS-B.|}

Loss of Challenger

Challenger was destroyed in the second minute of STS-51-L, the orbiter's tenth mission, on January 28, 1986, when an O-ring seal on its right Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) failed. The O-rings failed to seal due to a variety of factors, including unusually cold temperatures. This failure allowed a plume of flame to leak out of the SRB and impinge on both the Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) and SRB aft attachment strut. This caused both structural failure of the ET and the SRB pivoting into the orbiter and ET. The vehicle assembly then broke up under aerodynamic loads.

See also

Notes External links

Ronald Reagan: Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion video
Shuttle Orbiter Challenger (OV-99)
Rogers Commission Report
Astronautix on Challenger
Challenger Mission Videos of the Accident from Spaceflightnow.com
NASA film on the accident and investigation downloadable from archive.org The Internet Archive

Memorial to Greg Jarvis in Hermosa Beach, California at "Sites of Memory"

Personal Observations on the Reliability of the Shuttle by R. P. Feynman

RealPlayer video of Feynman's O-Ring demonstration (low quality)

CBS Radio news Bulletin Anchored by Christopher Glenn of the Challenger Disaster from 1/28/86 , Part 2 of CBS Radio coverage of Challenger Disaster , Part 3 of CBS Radio News coverage of Challenger disaster, Part 4 of CBS Radio news coverage of challenger disaster

Space Shuttle Challenger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Space Shuttle Challenger (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia being the first.

Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster took place on January 28, 1986 when Challenger, a Space Shuttle operated by NASA, broke apart 73 seconds into its flight leading to the deaths ...

NASA - Space Shuttle Overview: Challenger (OV-099)
Space Shuttle Overview ... First called STA-099, Challenger was built to serve as a test vehicle for the Space Shuttle program.

Spaceport :: Space Shuttle Challenger Accident - An Inside Report by ...
Spaceport.co.uk is the website of Tim Furniss, UK-based space journalist and author. ... One Small Steppe - A Personal Story of the Space Age 1948-1989. Now available to buy online ...

Space Shuttle Challenger
Analysis of decisions which lead to the accident

SPACE.com -- Remembering Challenger: Shuttle Disaster and Others ...
Friday marks the beginning of a somber time of year for NASA, commemorating the first of three spaceflight disasters that have claimed the lives of 17 astronauts over the last 40 ...

Space Shuttle Challenger
January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger the 25th space shuttle mission, was set to be launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at, 11:38am.

51-L
On Flight Day 7, the day would have been spent preparing the Space Shuttle for deorbit and entry into the admosphere. The Challenger was scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center ...

Shuttle Orbiter Challenger (OV-99)
Challenger (STA-099, OV-99) Background. Challenger, the second orbiter to become operational at Kennedy Space Center, was named after the British Naval research vessel HMS ...

Category:Space Shuttle Challenger - Wikimedia Commons
English: The Space Shuttle Challenger was a NASA spacecraft that exploded shortly after takeoff on January 1986. All 7 astronauts aboard died upon impacting the ocean.