Editing Space Shuttle Challenger (section)

{{Short description|Space Shuttle orbiter (1983–1986)}}
{{redirect|Challenger Spacecraft|other spacecraft called Challenger|Challenger (disambiguation)#Air and space craft}}
{{Italic title|string=Challenger}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox individual space vehicle
| name              = ''Challenger''
| image             = S83-35803 (cropped).jpg
| image_alt         = Top view of a spaceplane in space, with the horizon of Earth in the background
| caption           = ''Challenger'' in orbit in 1983, during STS-7

| type              = [[Spaceplane]]
| class             = [[Space Shuttle orbiter]]
| serial            = {{Ubl|STA-099 (1978–1979)|OV-099}}
| eponym            = {{HMS|Challenger|1858}}
| owner             = [[NASA]]
| manufacturer      = [[Rockwell International]]

| dimensions        = 
| dry_mass          = {{Convert|80600|kg}}
| communciation     = 
| power             = 
| rocket            = [[Space Shuttle]]

| first_flight_date = April 4–9, 1983
| first_flight      = [[STS-6]]
| last_flight_date  = January 28, 1986
| last_flight       = [[STS-51-L]]
| flights           = 10
| time              = 1,496 hours<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/129/129quicklook2.pdf|title=STS-129/ISS-ULF3 Quick-Look Data|first=William|last=Harwood|date=October 12, 2009|work=[[CBS News]]|access-date=November 30, 2009}}</ref>
| traveled         = {{Convert|41527414|km}} around [[Earth]]
| orbits            = 995 around Earth
| fate              = [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Disintegrated during launch]]
| previous          = ''[[Space Shuttle Columbia|Columbia]]''
| next              = ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]''
}}
'''Space Shuttle ''Challenger''''' ('''OV-099''') was a [[Space Shuttle orbiter]] manufactured by [[Rockwell International]] and operated by [[NASA]]. Named after [[HMS Challenger (1858)|the commanding ship]] of a [[Challenger expedition|nineteenth-century scientific expedition]] that traveled the world, ''Challenger'' was the second Space Shuttle orbiter to fly into space after ''[[Space Shuttle Columbia|Columbia]]'', and launched on [[STS-6|its maiden flight]] in April 1983. It was destroyed in January 1986 soon after launch [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|in a disaster]] that killed all seven crewmembers aboard. 

Initially manufactured as a [[Test article (aerospace)|test article]] not intended for spaceflight, it was used for ground testing of the Space Shuttle orbiter's structural design. However, after NASA found that their original plan to upgrade ''[[Space Shuttle Enterprise|Enterprise]]'' for spaceflight would be more expensive than upgrading ''Challenger'', the orbiter was pressed into operational service in the [[Space Shuttle program]]. Lessons learned from the first orbital flights of ''Columbia'' led to ''Challenger''{{'}}s design possessing fewer [[Space Shuttle thermal protection system|thermal protection system]] tiles and a lighter fuselage and wings. This led to it being {{Convert|2200|lbs|kg|abbr=off}} lighter than ''Columbia'', though still {{Convert|5700|lbs|kg|abbr=off}} heavier than ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]''.

During its three years of operation, ''Challenger'' was flown on ten missions in the Space Shuttle program, spending over 62 days in space and completing almost 1,000 orbits around Earth. Following its maiden flight, ''Challenger'' supplanted ''Columbia'' as the leader of the Space Shuttle fleet, being the most-flown orbiter during all three years of its operation while ''Columbia'' itself was seldom used during the same time frame. ''Challenger'' was used for numerous civilian satellite launches, such as the first [[U.S. tracking and data relay satellite|tracking and data relay satellite]], the [[Palapa|Palapa B]] communications satellites, the [[Long Duration Exposure Facility]], and the [[Earth Radiation Budget Satellite]]. It was also used as a test bed for the [[Manned Maneuvering Unit]] (MMU) and served as the platform to repair the malfunctioning [[Solar Maximum Mission|SolarMax telescope]]. In addition, three consecutive [[Spacelab]] missions were conducted with the orbiter in 1985, one of which being the [[STS-61-A|first German crewed spaceflight mission]]. Passengers carried into orbit by ''Challenger'' include the [[Sally Ride|first American female astronaut]], the [[Kathryn D. Sullivan|first American female spacewalker]], the [[Guion Bluford|first African-American astronaut]], and the [[Marc Garneau|first Canadian astronaut]].

On its tenth flight in January 1986, ''Challenger'' broke up 73 seconds after liftoff, killing the seven-member crew of [[STS-51-L]] that included [[Christa McAuliffe]], who would have been the [[Teacher in Space Project|first teacher in space]]. The [[Rogers Commission Report|Rogers Commission]] concluded that an [[O-ring]] seal in one of ''Challenger''{{'}}s [[Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster|solid rocket boosters]] failed to contain pressurized burning gas that leaked out of the booster, causing a [[Structural integrity and failure|structural failure]] of ''Challenger''{{'}}s [[Space Shuttle external tank|external tank]] and the orbiter's subsequent breakup due to [[Aerodynamics|aerodynamic forces]]. NASA's [[organizational culture]] was also scrutinized by the Rogers Commission, and the Space Shuttle program's goal of replacing the United States' [[expendable launch system]]s was cast into doubt. The loss of ''Challenger'' and its crew led to a broad rescope of the program including replacing it with ''[[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Endeavour]]'', and numerous aspects – such as [[Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 6#Space Shuttle (1972–1989)|launches from Vandenberg]], the MMU, and [[Shuttle-Centaur]] – were scrapped to improve crew safety; ''Challenger'' and ''[[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Atlantis]]'' were the only orbiters modified to conduct Shuttle-Centaur launches. The recovered remains of the orbiter are mostly buried in a [[Missile launch facility|missile silo]] located at [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station|Cape Canaveral]] [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 31|LC-31]]; one piece is on display at the [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex]].