Space Shuttle Columbia facility beginning in January 1984, undergoing modifications that removed the Orbiter Flight Test hardware and bringing it up to similar specifications as those of its sister orbiters. At that time the shuttle fleet was expanded to include "Discovery" and "Atlantis". "Columbia" returned to space on January 12, 1986, with the launch of STS-61-C. The mission's crew included Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, as well as the first sitting member of the House of Representatives to venture into space, Bill Nelson. The next shuttle mission, STS-51-L, was undertaken by "Challenger". It was launched on January 28, 1986, ten days after STS-61-C had landed,
Space Shuttle Independence Space Center outside Houston, Texas. The replica shuttle was stripped of the name "Explorer" as part of the dismantling process. Upon arriving in the Houston area by barge on June 1, 2012, the shuttle was taken to the Johnson Space Center dock on Clear Lake, and preparations were made to move the shuttle to Space Center Houston during the early morning hours. As with Florida, several light poles along NASA Parkway were taken down and trees trimmed back to allow passage. The shuttle was moved by another 144-wheel trailer down the closed highway to the visitor center. Johnson Space Center