Canceled Space Shuttle missions

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During NASA's Space Shuttle program, several missions were canceled. Many were canceled as a result of the Challenger and the Columbia disasters or due to delays in the development of the shuttle. Others were canceled because of changes in payload and mission requirements.

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Canceled due to the late development of the Space Shuttle

In 1972, NASA's planners had projected for 570 Space Shuttle missions between 1980 and 1991. [1] Later, this estimate was lowered to 487 launches between 1980 and 1992. [2] The details of the first 23 projected missions, listed in the third edition of Manned Spaceflight (Reginald Turnill, 1978) and the first edition of the STS Flight Assignment Baseline, an internal NASA document published in October 1977, [3] are presented below.

Later in the development process, NASA suggested using the first crewed Space Shuttle mission, STS-1, as a sub-orbital test of the Return to Launch Site (RTLS) flight profile devised for emergency abort scenarios. [11] Columbia would have launched from Kennedy Space Center, then executed a 180-degree turn at a speed of 8,400 kilometres per hour (5,200 mph), or 6.7 times the speed of sound, in order to land at the Kennedy Space Center runway. The mission was canceled when astronauts refused to fly it, having deemed the plan to be too dangerous. STS-1 commander John W. Young recalled that "I said no. I said let's not practice Russian roulette, because you may have a loaded gun there. So we didn't." [11]

Canceled between the first flight of the Space Shuttle (1981) and the Challenger disaster (1986)

Canceled due to the Challenger disaster

Canceled between 1988 and the Columbia disaster (2003)

Canceled due to the Columbia disaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-6</span> 1983 American crewed spaceflight and maiden flight of Space Shuttle Challenger

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-41-C</span> 1984 American crewed spaceflight to the Solar Maximum Mission satellite

STS-41-C was NASA's eleventh Space Shuttle mission, and the fifth mission of Space Shuttle Challenger. The launch, which took place on April 6, 1984, marked the first direct ascent trajectory for a Space Shuttle mission. During the mission, Challenger's crew captured and repaired the malfunctioning Solar Maximum Mission satellite, and deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) experimental apparatus. STS-41-C was extended one day due to problems capturing the Solar Max satellite, and the landing on April 13, 1984, took place at Edwards Air Force Base, instead of at Kennedy Space Center as had been planned. The flight was originally numbered STS-13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-41-B</span> 1984 American crewed spaceflight

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-100</span> 2001 American crewed spaceflight to the ISS

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Age</span> Historical period started in 1957

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skylab Rescue</span> Unflown spaceflight contingency plan

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The Shuttle–Mir program was a collaborative space program between Russia and the United States that involved American Space Shuttles visiting the Russian space station Mir, Russian cosmonauts flying on the Shuttle, and an American astronaut flying aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to allow American astronauts to engage in long-duration expeditions aboard Mir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B</span> Historic launch pad operated by NASA

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The following is an outline of 1984 in spaceflight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 in spaceflight</span>

The following is an outline of 1993 in spaceflight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Astronaut Group 13</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">TDRS-1</span> American communications satellite

TDRS-1, known before launch as TDRS-A, was an American communications satellite, operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was constructed by TRW and launched by Space ShuttleChallenger on its maiden flight, STS-6.

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