Editing Space Shuttle Challenger (section)

===Flights and modifications===
 	
After its [[STS-6|first flight]] in April 1983, ''Challenger'' quickly became the workhorse of [[NASA]]'s [[Space Shuttle]] fleet, flying six of nine Space Shuttle [[list of space shuttle missions|missions]] in 1983 and 1984. Even when the orbiters [[Space Shuttle Discovery|''Discovery'']] and [[Space Shuttle Atlantis|''Atlantis'']] joined the fleet, ''Challenger'' flew three missions a year from 1983 to 1985. ''Challenger'', along with ''Atlantis'', was modified at [[Kennedy Space Center]] to be able to carry the [[Centaur (rocket stage)|Centaur-G]] upper stage in its payload bay. If flight [[STS-51-L]] had been successful, ''Challenger''{{'}}s next mission would have been the deployment of the [[Ulysses (spacecraft)|''Ulysses'' probe]] with the Centaur to study the polar regions of the Sun.

''Challenger'' flew the [[Sally Ride|first American woman]], [[Guion Bluford|African-American]], [[Wubbo Ockels|Dutchman]], and [[Marc Garneau|Canadian]] into space; carried three [[Spacelab]] missions; and performed the [[STS-8|first night launch and night landing]] of a Space Shuttle.