Cancelled Shuttle missions
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During the Space Shuttle program, a number of missions were cancelled. Mostly because of the Challenger and Columbia disasters, however some were also cancelled due to changes in payload requirements.
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[edit] STS-1
STS-1 was originally intended to be a sub-orbital test of the Space Shuttle system, using the RTLS flight profile devised for emergency abort scenarios.<ref>Popular Mechanics - "Astronauts in Danger"</ref>. The mission was cancelled when astronauts refused to fly it, having deemed the mission to be too dangerous.
[edit] STS-2
The mission that was originally designated STS-2 would have visited the Skylab space station, and boosted it into a higher orbit. The flight was cancelled due to delays with the Shuttle program, and Skylab re-entering sooner than was expected. The designation was later re-used. The crew selected were Haise and Lousma. It would have launched in late 1979, using the Space Shuttle Columbia.
[edit] STS-10
STS-10 was cancelled due to delays with the payload, which was a DOD satellite. Mattingly, Shriver, Onizuka, Buchli and Payton had been named as the crew. Launch was scheduled for November 1983.
[edit] STS-12
STS-12, a mission to deploy a TDRS satellite, was cancelled due to problems with the IUS upper stage that was to be used in the mission. Hartsfield, Coats, Mullane, Hawley and Resnik had been named as crew. Launch was scheduled for March 1984.
[edit] STS-41-E
STS-41-E, a mission to deploy a DOD satellite, was cancelled due to problems with the IUS upper stage that was to be used in the mission. Mattingly, Shriver, Onizuka, Buchli and Detroye had been named as crew. Launch was scheduled for March 1984. The shuttle used would've been Challenger.
[edit] STS-41-F
Launch of STS-41-F would've been in August 1984. The Shuttle used would've been Discovery, which would've made this its first flight if it wasn't cancelled, instead of STS-41-D. It was cancelled due to payload delays.
[edit] STS-81-M
Launch of STS-81-M would've been in July 1988 and would've used Atlantis. It was cancelled due to the Challenger accident.
[edit] STS-71-B
Not much is known about this mission, except that it was to launch in December 1986, but it was cancelled after the Challenger disaster. The payload specialist that would've been on this cancelled flight (had not the Challenger accident occured) would be Charles Edward Jones, who would later die on Flight 11 when it was crashed into the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
| Space Shuttle Program | |
|---|---|
| Image:Shuttle Patch.png | Main Articles: Space Shuttle program | Space Shuttle |
| Components: Orbiter | SRB | External Tank | SSME | OMS | Crawler Transporter | |
| Orbiters: Enterprise | Columbia | Challenger | Discovery | Atlantis | Endeavour | |
| Launch Sites: Kennedy Space Center LC-39 | Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-6 | |
| Developments: Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle | Shuttle-C | Ares I | Ares V | |
| Mockup Shuttles: Pathfinder | Explorer | America | |
| Misc: Missions | Cancelled Missions | Decision | Crews | Abort modes | In Fiction | |
