In which year did the space shuttle Challenger explode 73 seconds after lift off?
Space Shuttle Challenger Space Shuttle Challenger Space Shuttle "Challenger" (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was the second orbiter of NASA's space shuttle program to be put into service, after "Columbia". "Challenger" was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division, in Downey, California. Its maiden flight, STS-6, began on April 4, 1983. The orbiter was launched and landed nine times before breaking apart 73 seconds into its tenth mission, STS-51-L, on January 28, 1986, resulting in the death of all seven crew members, including a civilian school teacher. It was the first of two shuttles to be destroyed in flight, the other being "Columbia",
Space Shuttle Challenger in 2003. The accident led to a two-and-a-half-year grounding of the shuttle fleet; flights resumed in 1988, with STS-26 flown by "Discovery". "Challenger" was replaced by "Endeavour", which was built from structural spares ordered by NASA in the construction contracts for "Discovery" and "Atlantis". "Challenger" was named after HMS "Challenger", a British corvette that was the command ship for the "Challenger" Expedition, a pioneering global marine research expedition undertaken from 1872 through 1876. The Apollo 17 lunar module, which landed on the Moon in 1972, also was named "Challenger". Because of the low production volume of orbiters, the Space Shuttle