Canceled space shuttle missions

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Several planned missions have already been canceled as part of the US space shuttle program. Most were canceled as a result of the Challenger and Columbia disasters . However, some were also deleted as payload requirements changed.

STS-1a

In early 1979, STS-1 was supposed to be just a suborbital test flight of the space shuttle to test the RTLS aborted maneuver. The mission was canceled when the astronauts refused to fly what they considered to be a dangerous mission.

STS-2a

The mission, which was originally planned as STS-2 , would have flown to the Skylab space station and lifted it into higher orbit. The mission was canceled due to delays in the development of the space shuttle as Skylab burned up in the Earth's atmosphere earlier than calculated. The Columbia orbiter was scheduled to make the flight in late 1979. The crew would have consisted of Fred Haise and Jack Lousma , who commanded the STS-3 mission in March 1982 .

STS-10

STS-10 was canceled due to delays with the payload, a US Department of Defense satellite . Ken Mattingly , Loren Shriver , Ellison Onizuka , James Buchli and the first military astronaut payload specialist Gary Payton would have been scheduled for the November 1983 flight.

STS-12

STS-12, a mission to deploy a TDRS satellite, was canceled due to problems with the IUS missile upper stage that was to be used on the flight. Henry Hartsfield , Michael Coats , Richard Mullane , Steven Hawley and Judith Resnik were named as the crew. The start should have taken place in March 1984.

STS-41-E

STS-41-E, a US Department of Defense satellite mission, has also been canceled due to problems with the IUS upper level. Ken Mattingly , Loren Shriver , Ellison Onizuka , Jim Buchli and the US Air Force payload specialist Jeffrey Detroye were nominated as a team. The launch was planned for March 1984 with the space shuttle Challenger .

STS-41-F

STS-41-F was scheduled for August 1984 with the Discovery . This would have been the Discovery's first flight had it not been canceled due to payload delays. The crew were Karol Bobko , Donald Williams , Rhea Seddon , David Griggs and Jeffrey Hoffman . The flight then became STS-51-E.

STS-41-H

This mission was to be carried out on behalf of the US Department of Defense in September 1984 or deploy a TDRS satellite instead. The mission was canceled due to problems with the IUS upper level. The crew nominated were Frederick Hauck , David Walker , Joseph Allen , Anna Fisher , Dale Gardner and US Air Force payload specialists Gary Payton and Frank Casserino . Daryl Joseph was scheduled as the replacement payload specialist .

STS-51-E

This Challenger flight was canceled due to problems with the IUS upper level. A TDRS satellite should have been deployed. The crew were Karol Bobko , Donald Williams , Rhea Seddon , David Griggs , Jeffrey Hoffman , the French payload specialist Patrick Baudry and the politician Jake Garn .

STS-51-H

STS-51-H was an Atlantis mission that was canceled before the Challenger disaster. The EOM-1 shuttle mission was scheduled for November 1985. The crew were Vance Brand , Michael Smith , Robert Springer , Owen Garriott , Claude Nicollier and the two payload specialists Byron Lichtenberg and Michael L. Lampton .

STS-61-E

This mission with the space shuttle Columbia should have brought the ASTRO-1 Spacelab mission into space on March 6, 1986. The flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster. The team would have consisted of Jon McBride , Richard Richards , David Leestma , Jeffrey Hoffman , Robert Parker , Samuel Durrance and Ronald Parise .

STS-61-F

STS-61-F was scheduled to launch the Ulysses solar probe on the Challenger space shuttle on May 15, 1986 . The team would have consisted of Frederick Hauck , Roy Bridges , John Lounge and David Hilmers .

STS-61-G

STS-61-G would have been a space shuttle Atlantis mission (scheduled to launch May 20, 1986), but was canceled after the Challenger disaster. The Galileo space probe should have been brought into space . As crew were David Walker , Ronald Grabe , Norman Thagard and James van Hoften scheduled.

STS-61-H

The Columbia mission planned for June 30, 1986 was canceled due to the Challenger disaster. A commercial communications satellite should have been suspended. The team would have consisted of Michael Coats , John Blaha , Anna Fisher , James Buchli , Robert Springer , the British payload specialist Nigel Wood and the Indonesian payload specialist Pratiwi Sudarmono .

STS-62-A

STS-62-A was scheduled to launch in July 1986 as the first shuttle mission from Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base . Robert Crippen would have commanded the Discovery on the first shuttle mission in a polar orbit for the US Department of Defense. The crew would have consisted of Guy Gardner , Dale Gardner , Richard Mullane , Jerry Ross, as well as the military rastronaut John Watterson (MSE) and the politician Edward Aldridge, alongside Crippen . The flight was canceled after the US Department of Defense withdrew from the shuttle program following the Challenger disaster. Even later, no more shuttles took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

STS-61-M

This Challenger mission should have launched a TDRS satellite in July 1986. The crew would have consisted of Loren Shriver , Bryan O'Connor , Mark Lee , Sally Ride , William Fisher , the US industrial astronaut payload specialist Robert Wood and a meteorologist from the US Air Force (one of the group of three from Grant Aufderhaar, Fred Lewis, Ronald Townsend ) passed.

STS-61-K

STS-61-K was a Columbia mission that was canceled due to the Challenger disaster. The EOM-1 shuttle mission was scheduled for October 1986. The crew were Vance Brand , David Griggs , Robert Stewart , Owen Garriott , Claude Nicollier and the three payload specialists Byron Lichtenberg , Michael L. Lampton and Robert E. Stevenson .

STS-61-N

STS-61-N was scheduled to launch as a military shuttle mission in September 1986. Brewster Shaw would have commanded the Columbia on the shuttle mission for the US Department of Defense. In addition to Shaw, the crew would have consisted of the pilot Michael McCulley , the mission specialists James Adamson , David Leestma , Mark Brown as well as the military rastronaut Frank Casserino (MSE) and the US General Lawrence Skantze from the USAF System Command. The flight was canceled after the US Department of Defense withdrew from the shuttle program following the Challenger disaster.

STS-61-I

STS-61-I was a Challenger mission that was canceled after the Challenger disaster. This shuttle mission was scheduled for September 27, 1986. As crew were Donald Williams , Michael Smith (kam-disaster Challenger lost their lives in), James Bagian , Bonnie J. Dunbar , Sonny Carter and the payload specialist Nagapathi Bhat (India) and a US journalist scheduled.

STS-62-B

STS-62-B was scheduled to launch as the second shuttle mission from Space Launch Complex 6 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in September 1986 . The Discovery was to launch on this shuttle mission in a polar orbit for the US Department of Defense. The crew had not yet been nominated, only the military rastronaut Katherine Roberts (MSE) was supposed to fly. A KH-11A satellite was to be deployed. The flight was canceled after the US Department of Defense withdrew from the shuttle program following the Challenger disaster. Even later, no more shuttles took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

STS-61-J

This Atlantis mission, which was canceled due to the Challenger disaster, should have deployed the Hubble Space Telescope in October 1986. The crew were John Watts Young (it would have been his 7th start), Charles Frank Bolden , Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan , Bruce McCandless and Steven Alan Hawley .

STS-61-L

This Columbia mission, which was canceled due to the Challenger disaster, should have deployed two commercial communications satellites (Gstar-3 and Syncom IV-5) in November 1986. John Konrad was planned as the payload specialist.

STS-71-B

This Challenger mission would have taken place in December 1986. On board would have been the military astronaut (MSE) payload specialist Charles Edward Jones , who later died on American Airlines Flight 11 when the plane crashed into the World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks . The flight was canceled after the US Department of Defense withdrew from the shuttle program following the Challenger disaster.

STS-71-A

This mission with the space shuttle Atlantis should have brought the ASTRO-2 Spacelab mission into space on January 12, 1987. The flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster. The team would have consisted of Jon McBride , Richard Richards , David Leestma , Jeffrey Hoffman , Robert Parker , payload specialist Kenneth Nordsieck and one of the two other payload specialists Samuel Durrance and Ronald Parise .

STS-71-C

The Columbia mission planned for late January 1987 was canceled due to the Challenger disaster. The commercial communications satellites Skynet 4B and ASC-2 and the US research platform Spartan-2 should have been suspended. The team would also have included the second British payload specialist Peter Longhurst and the ASC industrial astronaut payload specialist Otto Hoernig.

STS-71-D

This Challenger mission should have launched the TDRS-C satellite in February 1987. The US industrial astronaut payload specialist Robert Wood would also have belonged to the crew .

STS-71-E

The start of the Atlantis mission would have been planned for April 1987, but was canceled due to the Challenger disaster. The planned crew members for this SLS-1 mission were: Vance Brand , David Griggs , John Fabian , James Bagian , Rhea Seddon , Francis Gaffney and Robert Phillips . Payload specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford acted as replacements for Gaffney and Phillips.

STS-71-F

This Columbia mission would have been scheduled for late April 1987, but was canceled due to the Challenger disaster. The Canadian payload specialist Steve MacLean would also have belonged to the crew .

STS-71-M

This mission with the space shuttle Challenger should have brought the ASTRO-3 Spacelab mission into space on August 18, 1987. The flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster. The team also included payload specialist Kenneth Nordsieck and one of the two other payload specialists Samuel Durrance and Ronald Parise .

STS-71-O

This mission with the space shuttle Columbia should have brought the Sunlab-1-Spacelab mission into space on September 28, 1987. The flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster. The team also included payload specialists George Simon and one of the two other payload specialists, John-David Bartoe and Dianne Prinz.

STS-81-G

This space shuttle mission should have launched the Spacelab-J mission in February 1988. The flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster. The team also included payload specialists Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai and reserve payload specialist Takao Doi .

STS-81-M

The start of the Atlantis mission was planned for July 1988, but was canceled due to the Challenger disaster. The only known crew member on this SLS-2 mission was Payload Specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford .

STS-82-B

The STS-82-B mission was scheduled to start in 1988 from Vandenberg Air Force Base with the Discovery. At least one military astronaut (MSE) would have been on board as a payload specialist. The flight was canceled after the US Department of Defense withdrew from the shuttle program following the Challenger disaster. Even later, no more shuttles took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Among other tasks, the COBE observatory, which was brought into space with a Delta rocket in 1989, was to be suspended .

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