This is a detailed list of human spaceflights from 1981 to 1990, spanning the end of the Soviet Union's Salyut space station program, the beginning of Mir, and the start of the US Space Shuttle program.
# | Crew | Launch spacecraft | Habitation | Return spacecraft | Brief mission summary | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
80 | ![]() ![]() | 13 March 1981![]() | Salyut 6 | 26 May 1981![]() | ||
81 | ![]() ![]() | 22 March 1981![]() | Salyut 6 | 29 March 1981![]() | First Mongolian in space (Gürragchaa). | |
82 | ![]() ![]() | 12 April 1981![]() | 14 April 1981![]() | First Space Shuttle flight. Systems test. | ||
83 | ![]() ![]() | 14 May 1981![]() | Salyut 6 | 22 May 1981![]() | First Romanian in space (Prunariu). Magnetic field observations. Final Soyuz flight. | |
84 | ![]() ![]() | 12 November 1981![]() | 14 November 1981![]() | First re-use of a crewed orbital spacecraft. Systems test. Earth science observations. | ||
85 | ![]() ![]() | 22 March 1982![]() | 30 March 1982![]() | Further system testing. Miscellaneous scientific experiments and Earth science observations. | ||
86 | ![]() ![]() | 12 May 1982![]() | Salyut 7 | 10 December 1982![]() | First mission to Salyut 7. Deployment of radio communications satellite. | |
87 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 24 June 1982![]() | Salyut 7 | 2 July 1982![]() | First French citizen in space (Chrétien). | |
88 | ![]() ![]() | 27 June 1982![]() | 4 July 1982![]() | Final Space Shuttle R&D flight. Miscellaneous scientific experiments plus classified US Air Force payload. | ||
89 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 19 August 1982![]() | Salyut 7 | 27 August 1982![]() | Second woman in space (Savitskaya). | |
90 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 11 November 1982![]() | 16 November 1982![]() | Launched commercial ANIK C-3 and SBS-C communications satellites. Planned EVA cancelled due to space suit malfunction. | ||
91 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 4 April 1983![]() | 9 April 1983![]() | First Space Shuttle EVA (Peterson and Musgrave). Deployment of first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-1). Miscellaneous science experiments. | ||
92 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 20 April 1983![]() | 22 April 1983![]() | Failed to dock with Salyut 7. | ||
93 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 18 June 1983![]() | 24 June 1983![]() | Two communications satellites launched. First American woman in space (Ride). Investigation into behavior of ant colony in zero gravity. Various microgravity experiments. | ||
94 | ![]() ![]() | 26 June 1983![]() | Salyut 7 | 23 November 1983![]() | ||
95 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 30 August 1983![]() | 5 September 1983![]() | First African-American in space (Bluford). First night launch and landing. Deployed INSAT-1B satellite for India. Observation of behavior of rats in space. | ||
— | ![]() ![]() | 26 September 1983![]() | Launch failed due to fire. Crew ejected. | |||
96 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 28 November 1983![]() | 8 December 1983![]() | First Spacelab (orbital laboratory) mission. First ESA astronaut, first West German astronaut and first non-American on US flight (Merbold). | ||
97 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 3 February 1984![]() Challenger | 11 February 1984![]() Challenger | First untethered spacewalk (McCandless and Stewart). WESTAR-VI and PALAPA-B2 satellites deployed but failed to attain correct orbits. | ||
98 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 4 February 1984![]() | Salyut 7 | 2 October 1984![]() | ||
99 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 3 April 1984![]() | Salyut 7 | 11 April 1984![]() | First Indian in space (Sharma). Earth observation program. Life sciences and materials processing experiments. | |
100 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 6 April 1984![]() Challenger | 13 April 1984![]() Challenger | LDEF deployed for later retrieval. Capture, repair and redeployment of malfunctioning Solar Maximum Mission satellite. | ||
101 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 17 July 1984![]() | Salyut 7 | 29 July 1984![]() | First EVA by a female astronaut (Savitskaya). | |
102 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 30 August 1984![]() Discovery | 5 September 1984![]() Discovery | Testing of experimental solar arrays. Three satellites deployed. | ||
103 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 5 October 1984![]() Challenger | 13 October 1984![]() Challenger | ERBS satellite deployed. Radar imaging. First EVA by an American woman (Sullivan). First Canadian in space (Garneau). First flight including two women. | ||
104 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 8 November 1984![]() Discovery | 16 November 1984![]() Discovery | Deployed two communications satellites. Retrieved two malfunctioning satellites. | ||
105 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 24 January 1985![]() Discovery | 27 January 1985![]() Discovery | First mission for the U.S. Department of Defense. Classified payload, possibly intelligence-gathering satellite. | ||
106 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 12 April 1985![]() Discovery | 19 April 1985![]() Discovery | Communications satellite deployed. Miscellaneous scientific experiments. First sitting member of U.S. Congress in space (Garn). | ||
107 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 29 April 1985![]() Challenger | 6 May 1985![]() Challenger | Second Spacelab mission; microgravity experiments. Observation of behaviour of monkeys and rodents in space. | ||
108 | ![]() | 5 June 1985![]() | Salyut 7 | 26 September 1985![]() | Repair of crippled Salyut 7 station. | |
![]() | 21 November 1985![]() | |||||
109 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 17 June 1985![]() Discovery | 24 June 1985![]() Discovery | Three communications satellites deployed. Miscellaneous scientific experiments. First Saudi and the first Arab in space (Al-Saud). | ||
110 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 29 July 1985![]() Challenger | 6 August 1985![]() Challenger | Spacelab-2 mission. Miscellaneous science experiments. Three communications satellites deployed. | ||
111 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 27 August 1985![]() Discovery | 3 September 1985![]() Discovery | Three communications satellites deployed. Retrieval, repair and redeployment of LEASAT-3 satellite. | ||
112 | ![]() ![]() | 17 September 1985![]() | Salyut 7 | 21 November 1985![]() | ||
![]() | 26 September 1985![]() | |||||
113 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 3 October 1985![]() Atlantis | 7 October 1985![]() Atlantis | Second U.S. Department of Defense mission. Classified payload, believed to be two communications satellites. | ||
114 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 30 October 1985![]() Challenger | 6 November 1985![]() Challenger | German-sponsored Spacelab mission. Microgravity experiments. First Dutchman in space (Ockels). | ||
115 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 26 November 1985![]() Atlantis | 3 December 1985![]() Atlantis | Three communications satellites deployed. Demonstration of in-orbit construction techniques. First Mexican in space (Neri Vela). | ||
116 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 12 January 1986![]() Columbia | 18 January 1986![]() Columbia | Deployment of communications satellite. Miscellaneous science experiments. | ||
— | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 28 January 1986![]() | Disintegrated 73 seconds after launch with loss of all crew. | |||
117 | ![]() ![]() | 13 March 1986![]() | Mir Salyut 7 Mir | 16 July 1986![]() | First expedition to Mir. Last expedition to Salyut 7. | |
118 | ![]() | 7 February 1987![]() | Mir | 30 July 1987![]() | Mir crew rotation and maintenance. | |
![]() | 29 December 1987![]() | |||||
119 | ![]() ![]() | 22 July 1987![]() | Mir | 30 July 1987![]() | Mir crew rotation. First Syrian in space (Faris). | |
![]() | 29 December 1987![]() | |||||
120 | ![]() | 21 December 1987![]() | Mir | 29 December 1987![]() | Mir crew rotation. Biological experiments and astronomical observations. | |
![]() ![]() | 21 December 1988![]() | |||||
121 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | 7 June 1988![]() | Mir | 17 June 1988![]() | ||
122 | ![]() ![]() | 29 August 1988![]() | Mir | 7 September 1988![]() | Mir crew rotation. First Afghan in space (Mohmand). | |
![]() | 27 April 1989![]() | |||||
123 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 28 September 1988![]() | 3 October 1988![]() | First "Return to Flight" Space Shuttle mission after Challenger disaster. Deployment of Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-3 (TDRS-3). | ||
124 | ![]() ![]() | 26 November 1988![]() | Mir | 27 April 1989![]() | Mir crew rotation. Technology experiments. First European EVA (Chrétien). | |
![]() | 21 December 1988![]() | |||||
125 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 2 December 1988![]() | 6 December 1988![]() | U.S. Department of Defense mission. Classified payload, reportedly Lacrosse 1 radar reconnaissance satellite. | ||
126 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 13 March 1989![]() | 18 March 1989![]() | Deployment of Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-4 (TDRS-4). Miscellaneous science experiments. | ||
127 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 4 May 1989![]() | 8 May 1989![]() | Magellan probe deployed. | ||
128 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 8 August 1989![]() | 13 August 1989![]() | U.S. Department of Defense mission. Classified payload, reportedly military communications and reconnaissance satellites. | ||
129 | ![]() ![]() | 5 September 1989![]() | Mir | 19 February 1990![]() | Mir equipment installation. | |
130 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 18 October 1989![]() | 23 October 1989![]() | Galileo probe deployed. | ||
131 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 22 November 1989![]() | 27 November 1989![]() | U.S. Department of Defense mission. Classified payload, reportedly reconnaissance satellite. First African-American Shuttle Commander. | ||
132 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 9 January 1990![]() | 20 January 1990![]() | Deployment of defense communications satellite. Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) retrieval. | ||
133 | ![]() ![]() | 11 February 1990![]() | Mir | 17 July 1990![]() | ||
134 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 28 February 1990![]() | 4 March 1990![]() | U.S. Department of Defense mission. Classified payload, reportedly reconnaissance satellite. | ||
135 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 24 April 1990![]() | 29 April 1990![]() | Hubble Space Telescope deployed. | ||
136 | ![]() ![]() | 3 August 1990![]() | Mir | 10 December 1990![]() | ||
137 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 6 October 1990![]() | 10 October 1990![]() | Ulysses probe deployed. Miscellaneous science experiments. | ||
138 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 15 November 1990![]() | 20 November 1990![]() | U.S. Department of Defense mission. Classified payload, reportedly reconnaissance satellite. | ||
139 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 2 December 1990![]() | 10 December 1990![]() | Ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy (ASTRO-1 observatory). | ||
140 | ![]() ![]() | 2 December 1990![]() | Mir | 26 May 1991![]() | Mir crew rotation. First Japanese in space (Akiyama). | |
![]() | 10 December 1990![]() |
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be remotely operated from ground stations on Earth, or autonomously, without any direct human involvement. People trained for spaceflight are called astronauts, cosmonauts (Russian), or taikonauts (Chinese); and non-professionals are referred to as spaceflight participants or spacefarers.
Spaceflight is an application of astronautics to fly objects, usually spacecraft, into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and conducted mainly with spacecraft such as satellites in orbit around Earth, but also includes space probes for flights beyond Earth orbit. Such spaceflight operate either by telerobotic or autonomous control. The more complex human spaceflight has been pursued soon after the first orbital satellites and has reached the Moon and permanent human presence in space around Earth, particularly with the use of space stations. Human spaceflight programs include the Soyuz, Shenzhou, the past Apollo Moon landing and the Space Shuttle programs. Other current spaceflight are conducted to the International Space Station and to China's Tiangong Space Station.
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas, where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late US president and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson, by an act of the United States Senate on February 19, 1973.
STS-4 was the fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and also the fourth for Space Shuttle Columbia. Crewed by Ken Mattingly and Henry Hartsfield, the mission launched on June 27, 1982, and landed a week later on July 4, 1982. Due to parachute malfunctions, the SRBs were not recovered.
STS-5 was the fifth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia. It launched on November 11, 1982, and landed five days later on November 16, 1982. STS-5 was the first Space Shuttle mission to deploy communications satellites into orbit, and the first officially "operational" Space Shuttle mission.
Human spaceflight programs have been conducted, started, or planned by multiple countries and companies. The age of crewed rocket flight was initiated by Fritz von Opel who piloted the world's first rocket-propelled flight on 30 September 1929. All space flights depend on rocket technology; von Opel was the co-designer and financier of the visionary project. Until the 21st century, human spaceflight programs were sponsored exclusively by governments, through either the military or civilian space agencies. With the launch of the privately funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new category of human spaceflight programs – commercial human spaceflight – arrived. By the end of 2022, three countries and one private company (SpaceX) had successfully launched humans to Earth orbit, and two private companies had launched humans on a suborbital trajectory.
Glynn Stephen Lunney was an American NASA engineer. An employee of NASA since its creation in 1958, Lunney was a flight director during the Gemini and Apollo programs, and was on duty during historic events such as the Apollo 11 lunar ascent and the pivotal hours of the Apollo 13 crisis. At the end of the Apollo program, he became manager of the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, the first collaboration in spaceflight between the United States and the Soviet Union. Later, he served as manager of the Space Shuttle program before leaving NASA in 1985 and later becoming a vice president of the United Space Alliance.
A mission patch is a cloth reproduction of a spaceflight mission emblem worn by astronauts and other personnel affiliated with that mission. It is usually executed as an embroidered patch. The term space patch is mostly applied to an emblem designed for a crewed space mission. Traditionally, the patch is worn on the space suit that astronauts and cosmonauts wear when launched into space. Mission patches have been adopted by the crew and personnel of many other space ventures, public and private.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to space exploration.