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Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' ( orbiter to be put into service, ''Columbia'' being the first. Its maiden flight was on April 4 , 1983 , and it completed nine missions before disintegrating 73 seconds after the launch of its tenth mission, on January 28 , 1986 , killing all seven crew members. (For more on the ''Challenger'' disaster, see Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' Disaster .) ''Challenger'' was replaced by the space shuttle ''Endeavour'' which made its first flight in 1992 , six years after the disaster. HISTORY ''Challenger'' was named after HMS ''Challenger'' , a British Corvette which carried out a Pioneering Global Marine Research Expedition in the 1870s. {Link without Title} Construction The shuttle was constructed using a body frame (STA- 099) that had initially been built as a test article. STA-099 was not originally intended for spaceflight, but NASA found that recycling it would be less expensive than refitting the test shuttle ''Enterprise'' (OV-101) to be spaceworthy, as originally planned. ''Challenger'' (and the orbiters built after it) had fewer tiles in its Thermal Protection System than ''Columbia'' . Most of the tiles on the payload bay doors, upper wing surface and rear fuselage surface were replaced with DuPont white Nomex felt insulation. This modification allowed ''Challenger'' to carry 1130 kg (2500 lb) more payload than ''Columbia''. ''Challenger'' was also the first orbiter to have a Heads-up Display system similar to those found in military and newer civilian aircraft. This system eliminated the need to look at the instrument panel during descent and allowed the crew to concentrate more on flying the orbiter. Flights and modifications After its first flight, ''Challenger'' quickly became the workhorse of NASA 's Space Shuttle fleet, flying far more missions per year than ''Columbia''. In 1983 and 1984, ''Challenger'' flew on 85% of all Space Shuttle Missions . Even when the orbiters ''Discovery'' and ''Atlantis'' joined the fleet, ''Challenger'' remained in heavy use with three missions a year from 1983-85. ''Challenger'', along with ''Discovery'', was modified at Kennedy Space Center to be able to carry the Centaur-G upper-stage in its payload bay. Had STS-51-L been successful, ''Challenger'''s next mission would have been the deployment of the Ulysses probe with the Centaur to study the polar regions of the Sun. ''Challenger'''s many spaceflight accomplishments included the first American woman, African-American, and Canadian in space, three . LOSS OF CHALLENGER See Also: Space Shuttle Challenger disaster ''Challenger'' was destroyed in the second minute of (ET) and SRB aft attachment strut. This caused both structural failure of the ET and the SRB pivoting into the orbiter and ET. The vehicle assembly then broke up under aerodynamic loads. {Link without Title} SEE ALSO
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