Challenger

…Brand was commander of the Challenger space shuttle (STS-41-B; February 3–11, 1984). Although this trip was plagued by several malfunctions and two communications satellites were misdirected, Bruce McCandless’s performance of the first space walk without a lifeline and the successful return of the shuttle to its home base were regarded…

space shuttle orbiter Challenger, shortly after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28, 1986. The disaster claimed the lives of seven astronauts.

The night before the Challenger space shuttle was slated to take off on its 10th mission, a cold wave swept through Florida. By morning the launch pad was covered in a layer of ice.

…in the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster was deeply felt by the nation and had a strong effect on the U.S. space program.

…specialist on STS-41-B aboard the Challenger space shuttle on February 3, 1984. During this flight, McCandless tested the MMU in space walks and thus became the first person to fly in space without being tethered to a spacecraft. He traveled 300 feet (90 metres) away from the shuttle. Astronaut Robert…

… who was killed in the Challenger disaster.

…the maiden flight of the Challenger space shuttle, in April 1983. He then served as flight engineer on the crew of Spacelab-2 in July 1985, a mission that performed astronomical research. He was a mission specialist on STS-33 (November 1989), STS-44 (November 1991), and STS-80 (November–December 1996). His most important…

…flew into space aboard the Challenger space shuttle on October 30, 1985, as a payload specialist on STS-61A, a German D-1 Spacelab mission. With eight crew members, the mission was the largest to fly into space. The mission also was notable for being the first in which some mission operations…

…into orbit aboard the shuttle Challenger. The mission lasted six days, during which time she helped deploy two communications satellites with the robotic arm and carry out a variety of experiments.

…first to fly in space), Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis—was put into service.

…four operational orbiters, named Columbia, Challenger, Atlantis, and Discovery, was built in order to allow multiple shuttle flights each year. Facilities in Florida originally constructed for the Apollo program were remodeled for shuttle use, and construction on a facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for launching the shuttle…

…was aboard the space shuttle Challenger on the STS-41G mission (October 5–13, 1984). On October 11, Sullivan and mission specialist David Leetsma performed a 3.5-hour space walk in which they operated a system designed to show that satellites could be refueled in orbit.