STS-51-L was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Challenger, launched January 28, 1986. The seven-member crew was killed 73 seconds after lift-off because of an O-ring seal failure in the booster system. Since it was near the Max Q region of the ascent phase, the vehicle quickly disintegrated and the entire crew was killed. (For more on the accident, see Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.)

Crew

• Commander (CMD): Francis "Dick" Scobee (also flew on STS-41-C)
• Pilot (PLT): Michael J. Smith (first flight)
• Mission Specialist 1: Judith Resnik (also flew on STS-41-D)
• Mission Specialist 2: Ellison Onizuka (also flew on STS-51-C)
• Mission Specialist 3: Ronald McNair (also flew on STS-41-B)
• Payload Specialist 1: Gregory Jarvis (first flight)
• Payload Specialist 2: Christa McAuliffe (first flight)

Mission objectives

Planned objectives were:

• Deployment of Tracking Data Relay Satellite-2 (TDRS-2)
• Flying of Shuttle-Pointed Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN-203)/Halley's Comet Experiment Deployable, a free-flying module designed to observe tail and coma of Halley's comet with two ultraviolet spectrometers and two cameras.
• Fluid Dynamics Experiment (FDE)
• Comet Halley Active Monitoring Program (CHAMP)
• Phase Partitioning Experiment (PPE)
• Three Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiments
• Two lessons for the Teacher in Space Project (TISP).

No mission objectives were accomplished.

Mission parameters

• Mass:
  • Orbiter Liftoff: 121 778 kg
  • Orbiter Landing: 90 584 kg (planned)
  • Payload: 21 937 kg
• Perigee: ~285 km (planned)
• Apogee: ~295 km (planned)
• Inclination: 28.45° (planned)
• Period: ~90.4 min (planned)
• Duration: 6 days 0 hours 34 minutes (planned)

Insignia

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The STS-51-L crewmembers designed this insignia to represent their participation in NASA's mission aboard Challenger, depicted launching from Florida and soaring into space to carry out a variety of goals. Among the prescribed duties of the five astronauts and two payload specialists will be observation and photography of Halley's Comet, backdropped against the U.S. flag in the insignia. Surnames of the crewmembers encircle the scene, with the payload specialists being recognized below. Surname of the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe, is followed by a symbolic apple.

See also

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• Space science
• Space shuttle
• Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

1986 | Engineering failures | Human spaceflights | Space Shuttle missions | Space Shuttle program | Space program fatalities

STS-51-L | STS-51-L | STS-51-L | STS-51-L | STS-51-L