DuringNASA'sSpace Shuttle program, several missions were canceled. Many were canceled as a result of theChallenger and theColumbia disasters or due to delays in the development of the shuttle. Others were canceled because of changes in payload and mission requirements.
In 1972, NASA's planners had projected 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 ofManned Spaceflight (Reginald Turnill, 1978) and the first edition of theSTS Flight Assignment Baseline, an internal NASA document published in October 1977,[3] are:
| Mission | Original launch date(s) | Shuttle | Landing site | Mission details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STS-1A OFT-1 | June 1979 | Columbia | Edwards | Originally scheduled as the first orbital test. The crew was to consist of a commander and pilot, and the test flight was to last 2 days and 5 hours. The crew was not named at the initial announcement, butJohn W. Young andRobert L. Crippen were announced as the STS-1 crew in March 1978, when the shuttle was still scheduled for a 1979 launch.[4] |
| STS-2A OFT-2 | July 1979 6 March 1980 | Columbia | Edwards | Originally scheduled as the third orbital flight test, then the second flight.[5] The five-day mission was to haveFred Haise andJack R. Lousma take theTeleoperator Retrieval System (TRS) to theSkylabspace station and boost it into a higher orbit.[6]Vance D. Brand andC. Gordon Fullerton were their backups.[7] By April 1979, when it was understood that the Shuttle could not be launched in time to rendezvous with Skylab, STS-2 was rescheduled for a 6 March 1980 launch, carrying the OSTA-1 payload and theRemote Manipulator System (RMS) for the first time.[8] This re-manifestedSTS-2 launched on 12 November 1981, withJoe Engle andRichard H. Truly in place of Haise and Lousma, respectively. |
| STS-3 OFT-3 | September 1979 | Columbia | Edwards | Originally scheduled as the third orbital flight test. The 7-day mission was to see the two-man crew (commander and pilot) test shuttle maneuvering and remote manipulator systems. |
| STS-4 OFT-4 | December 1979 | Columbia | Edwards | Originally scheduled as the fourth orbital flight test. The crew was to consist of a commander and pilot, and the mission was to last seven days. |
| STS-5 OFT-5 | February 1980 | Columbia | Kennedy | Originally scheduled as the fifth orbital flight test. The crew was to consist of commanderKen Mattingly, pilotHenry W. Hartsfield Jr. and one or two mission specialists.[9] The mission was to last 7 days. First landing atKennedy Space Center. |
| STS-6 OFT-6 | March 1980 | Columbia | Edwards | Originally scheduled as the sixth orbital flight test. The crew of four were to conduct the first test of operational payloads and conduct the first EVA from the shuttle. The mission was to last seven days. |
| STS-7 | 30 May 1980 27 February 1981 | Columbia | Kennedy | First operational flight. The crew of three were to place theLong Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite into orbit and the mission was to last five days. The LDEF was eventually released in 1984 fromChallenger duringSTS-41C. By 1979, when it became clear that the original launch schedule could not be kept, STS-7 was re-manifested with theTDRS-A satellite and scheduled to launch on 27 February 1981 with a crew of four and a duration of two days. This rescheduled STS-7 would also have landed atKennedy Space Center.[10] |
| STS-8 | 1 July 1980 | Columbia | Edwards | The crew of three were to place the satellitesTDRS-A andSBS-A into orbit during the 2-day mission. TDRS-A was sent into orbit onChallenger's maiden flight,STS-6, in April 1983. |
| STS-9 | 1 August 1980 | Columbia | Edwards | The crew of three were to place the satellitesGOES 4 andAnik-C1 into orbit during the 3-day mission. GOES 4 was launched atop aDelta 3914 a month after its originally scheduled launch on the shuttle. After this mission,Columbia would be returned to theRockwell International plant atPalmdale, California for removal of the ejection seats and test instrumentation and would receive higher capacity fuel cells in preparation for the firstSpacelab mission. |
| STS-10 | 14 November 1980 | Columbia | Edwards | Originally scheduled for launch in 1980. The crew of three were to place the satellitesTDRS-B andSBS-B into orbit during the 3-day mission. TDRS-B was rescheduled for STS-51E but became re-manifested onSTS-51L, where it wasdestroyed along withChallenger on 28 January 1986. |
| STS-11 | 18 December 1980 | Columbia | Edwards | Scheduled to carry the EuropeanSpacelab-1 science module. The crew of five were to consist of three NASA astronauts and two European payload specialists. The mission was to last seven days. This first Spacelab mission was later launched asSTS-9 in November 1983. |
| STS-12 | 30 January 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | The crew of three were to place the satellitesTDRS-C andAnik-C2 into orbit during the 2-day mission. An alternate mission was also planned which replaced the TDRS-C with anIntelsat-V satellite, and would last five days instead of two. TDRS-C was eventually made as the replacement for the destroyed TDRS-B and launched fromDiscovery onSTS-26 in September 1988. |
| STS-13 | 3 March 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | The crew of three were to place theGOES-E satellite into orbit during the 5-day mission. GOES-E was eventually launched on aDelta 3914 over two months after its originally scheduled launch on the shuttle. |
| STS-14 | 7 April 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | Scheduled to carry four Spacelab instrumentation pallets and a pressurized "igloo" used to support the payloads. The crew of five was to consist of two payload specialists. The mission was to last 12 days. |
| STS-15 | 13 May 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | During this mission, the satellitesTDRS-D andSBS-C would be placed into orbit. The Anik-C3 satellite could be substituted in place of SBS-C. TDRS-D was launched fromDiscovery onSTS-29 in March 1989, with SBS-C being launched onColumbia's first operational mission,STS-5, in November 1982. |
| STS-16 | 16 June 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | Originally scheduled for launch on 16 June 1981, carrying theSpacelab-3 science module. A "payload of opportunity" of 9 tons (8.16 mt) could accommodate a communications satellite. The crew of five was to include two payload specialists. |
| STS-17 | 16 July 1981 | Enterprise | Edwards | Originally expected as the first spaceflight of the shuttleEnterprise, it was to place anIntelsat V satellite into orbit and retrieve the LDEF.Enterprise never launched, and instead its place as the second shuttle in the fleet was taken byChallenger. |
| STS-18 | 29 July 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | Scheduled to carry aSpacelab pallet and pressurized "igloo". A military payload was planned for theDepartment of Defense, which would make it the first one flown on the Shuttle. |
| STS-19 | 2 September 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | Was to carry a series of fiveSpacelab pallets. |
| STS-20 | 30 September 1981 | Enterprise | Edwards | Originally scheduled for launch on 30 September 1981, carrying theSpacelab-4 life-science module and an unpressurized Spacelab pallet. |
| STS-21 | 14 October 1981 | Columbia | Edwards | A crew of three was to retrieve theSolar Maximum Mission satellite and bring it back to Earth after a five-day mission.Columbia would have carried an "OMS Kit" which contained additional fuel for the shuttle'sOrbital Maneuvering System, necessary to safely reach the SMM's orbit. The SMM, launched in February 1980, was eventually retrieved and repaired in orbit onSTS-41-C in 1984, and continued operating until 1989. |
| STS-22 | 25 November 1981 | Enterprise | Edwards | Was intended to carry anESA-operatedSpacelab module and additional pallet. |
| STS-23 | 5 January 1982 | Columbia | Edwards | Was to launch theGalileo probe (then named the "Jupiter Orbiter and Probe") to Jupiter using a modifiedIUS booster.Galileo was eventually delivered to orbit byAtlantis duringSTS-34, launched 18 October 1989, after lengthy delays. |
Later in the development process, NASA suggested using the first crewed Space Shuttle mission,STS-1, as asub-orbital test of theReturn to Launch Site (RTLS) flight profile devised for an emergency abort.[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 thespeed 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 commanderJohn W. Young recalled that "I said no. I said let's not practiceRussian roulette, because you may have a loaded gun there. So we didn't."[11]
| Mission | Original launch date(s) | Shuttle | Crew | Mission details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STS-10 | November 1983 | Challenger |
| Originally to be the first classified mission for the Department of Defense; canceled due to concerns with the payload's Inertial Upper Stage booster.[12] The entire crew, which had been assigned in October 1982, flew onSTS-51-C in January 1985. |
| STS-12 | March 1984 | Discovery |
| Originally to be the maiden flight ofDiscovery. Its original mission was to deploy aTDRS satellite, which was canceled due to concerns with theInertial Upper Stage (IUS) that was to be used in the mission.[citation needed] The crew (along with payload specialistCharles D. Walker) eventually flew onSTS-41-D in August 1984. |
| STS-41-E | July 1984 | Challenger |
| A mission to deploy a DOD satellite; was canceled due to problems with the IUS upper stage that was to be used in the mission.[citation needed] |
| STS-41-F | 29 August 1984 | Discovery |
| Canceled afterSTS-41-D was delayed[13] due to its RSLS abort. Most of STS-41-F's payloads were added to the STS-41-D mission and eventually launched in August 1984.[13] STS-41-F was scheduled to launch at 13:35 UTC on 29 August 1984, and land on Runway 17 atEdwards Air Force Base at 11:32 UTC on 4 September.[citation needed] |
| STS-51-E | March 1985 | Challenger |
| Mission objective was to deploy the TDRS-B communication satellite, canceled due to IUS failure.[citation needed] Most of the crew would be reassigned toSTS-51-D which flew in April 1985 (except for Patrick Baudry, who was reassigned toSTS-51-G which flew in June 1985). |
| STS-51-D | March 1985 | Discovery |
| Mission objectives were to deploy aSyncom communication satellite and retrieval of theLong Duration Exposure Facility. Most of the crew would fly onSTS-51-G in June, with Walker remaining on theremanifested STS-51-D flight and Jarvis eventually bumped toSTS-51-L, in which he was killed during theChallenger disaster. |
| STS-51-H | November 1985 | Atlantis |
| Originally EOM-1 Spacelab mission, canceled in December 1984 due to planned combining with EOM-2 mission. Later re-manifested as STS-61-K which was then canceled due to theChallenger disaster and Smith was eventually reassigned to STS-51-L, in which he was killed during the aforementionedChallenger disaster.[14] |
| Mission | Original launch date(s) | Shuttle | Crew | Mission details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STS-61-E | 6 March 1986 | Columbia |
Backup Payload Specialist: | ASTRO-1 mission, would have been used to examineHalley's Comet in conjunction with the uncrewed probes of theHalley Armada.[14] The Astro-1 mission, and most of the assigned crew (except for Richards and Leestma, who were reassigned toSTS-28 in 1989), would eventually fly onSTS-35 in 1990;Vance D. Brand replaced McBride, who left NASA in 1989. |
| STS-61-F | 15 May 1986 | Challenger |
| Primary mission intended to deploy theUlysses solar polar orbiter with aCentaur-G upper stage. Most of the crew would fly on the first post-Challenger shuttle mission,STS-26 in 1988;Richard O. Covey replaced Bridges, who left NASA shortly after theChallenger disaster.Ulysses itself would eventually be launched byDiscovery onSTS-41 with an IUS. |
| STS-61-G | 20 May 1986 | Atlantis |
| Primary mission would have been the deployment of theGalileo probe with a Centaur-G upper stage. Most of the crew would later fly onSTS-30 in 1989 withMary L. Cleave replaced van Hoften, who retired from NASA in 1986.Galileo would eventually be launched byAtlantis onSTS-34 with an IUS.[15][16] |
| STS-61-H | 24 June 1986 | Columbia |
Backup Payload Specialists: | Mission objective was to deploy three satellites. The crew would have included the first British and the first Indonesian astronaut. Most of this crew would fly without Fisher and payload specialists asSTS-29;James P. Bagian replaced Fisher, who was on leave.[14] |
| STS-62-A | 1 July 1986 | Discovery |
| DOD mission, was to have been the first shuttle mission flown fromSpace Launch Complex 6 atVandenberg Air Force Base, and would have been the first shuttle to launch into a polar orbit. Gardner, Mullane, and Ross would fly together onSTS-27, commanded byRobert L. Gibson, and withWilliam Shepherd rounding out the crew, with no payload specialists.[17][18] |
| STS-61-M | 22 July 1986 | Challenger |
Backup Payload Specialist: | Payload was to have been theTDRS-4 satellite, which was eventually launched aboardSTS-29 in March 1989. |
| STS-61-J | 18 August 1986 | Atlantis |
| The STS-61-J mission was intended to deploy theHubble Space Telescope into orbit. The telescope was eventually launched onSTS-31 in 1990, with the same crew on board (except Young, who was replaced byLoren Shriver).[16][19] |
| STS-61-N | 4 September 1986 | Discovery |
Backup Payload Specialist:
| DOD mission, which would be flown in 1989 asSTS-28 with most of the named crew except McCulley (who was replaced byRichard N. Richards) and Casserino.[18][20] |
| STS-61-I | 27 September 1986 | Challenger |
Backup Payload Specialist: | Primary mission objective would have been deployment of theIntelsat-4 satellite and the retrieval of theLong Duration Exposure Facility. This crew would have included the first Indian astronaut. Smith perished in theChallenger disaster shortly after being named to this crew. Dunbar would later be assigned toSTS-32, which retrieved the LDEF in 1990. Williams, Bagian, and Carter would later be reassigned toSTS-34,STS-29, andSTS-33 in 1989, respectively. |
| STS-62-B | 29 September 1986 | Discovery |
| DOD mission. Only one crew member was assigned to the mission before it was canceled.[18][23] |
| STS-61-K | 1 October 1986[14] | Columbia |
Backup Payload Specialists: | ASpacelab mission combining EOM-1 (initially planned under the cancelled STS-51-H) and EOM-2. EOM (Earth Observing Mission) was later replaced by the ATLAS (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science) program.Lichtenberg subsequently flew aboardSTS-45 (ATLAS-1). Lampton was originally assigned to STS-45, but was replaced by his back-upDirk Frimout owing to medical issues. Nicollier later flew on four Shuttle missions. Brand was then reassigned toSTS-35 in 1990. |
| STS-61-L | 1 November 1986 | Atlantis |
Backup Payload Specialist:
| Would have launched the first American journalist in space. Only one crewmember was assigned to the mission before it was canceled.[16][24] |
| STS-71-B | December 1986 | Challenger |
| DOD mission. The only scheduled crew member wasCharles Edward Jones, who later died onFlight 11 when it was crashed into theWorld Trade Center during theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks. |
| STS-71-A | January 1987 | Columbia |
| Astro-2 mission.[14] |
| STS-71-C | January 1987 | Atlantis |
Backup Payload Specialist:
| Was to launch a BritishSkynet satellite. Only one crew member, a British astronaut, was assigned to the mission before it was canceled.[16][25] |
| STS-71-D | February 1987 | Columbia |
Backup Payload Specialist: | Would have carried aMcDonnell Douglas payload.[14] |
| STS-71-E | March 1987 | Challenger |
Backup Payload Specialist: | FirstSpacelab Life Science mission (SLS-1). |
| STS-71-F | March 1987 | Atlantis |
Backup Payload Specialist: | MacLean would later be assigned to fly atSTS-52 in 1992. |
| STS-71-G | April 1987 | Challenger | Was to launch aNavstar GPS satellite.[27] | |
| STS-71-J | June 1987 | Challenger | Was to deploy a secondLDEF with new experiments.[28] | |
| STS-71-M | August 1987 | Columbia |
| ASTRO-3 mission.[14] |
| STS-71-N | September 1987 | Atlantis | Was to launch the first element of theSpace Station Freedom into orbit.[citation needed] | |
| STS-81-A | October 1987 | Challenger | Was to launch aNavstar GPS satellite.[27] | |
| STS-81-D | December 1987 | Challenger | Was to launch aNavstar GPS satellite.[27] | |
| STS-81-G | February 1988 | Challenger |
Backup Payload Specialist: | PlannedSpacelab-J science mission. The two Japanese astronauts who would serve as payload specialists were the only ones assigned to the mission before it was canceled. Spacelab-J was eventually flown onSTS-47 in 1992, usingChallenger's replacement,Endeavour. Mukai would go on to fly atSTS-65 in 1994. |
| STS-81-I | April 1988 | Atlantis | ||
| STS-81-M | July 1988 | Atlantis |
| SecondSpacelab Life Science mission (SLS-2). The only crewmember assigned to the mission, Millie Hughes-Fulford, would ultimately fly onSTS-40.[16][29] |
| STS-82-B | 1988 | Discovery | Among other tasks, the mission included the deployment of theCosmic Background Explorer observatory, later launched on aDelta rocket in 1989. |
| Mission | Shuttle | Mission details |
|---|---|---|
| STS-144 | Columbia | A mission to retrieve theHubble Space Telescope and return it to Earth, for possible display in theNational Air and Space Museum inWashington, D.C.[citation needed] NASA later flew theSTS-125 mission to the telescope, carrying a target assembly to allow for a safe de-orbit and atmospheric breakup over thePacific Ocean. |
| Mission | Original launch date(s) | Shuttle | Crew | Mission details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STS-114 | 1 March 2003 | Atlantis |
| ISS mission. It would have carried theMulti-Purpose Logistics ModuleRaffaello and carried out a station crew rotation. A similar crew conducted a different mission onDiscovery in 2005.[16][30] |
| STS-115 | 23 May 2003 | Endeavour |
| Assembly mission to theInternational Space Station, which was ultimately launched with the same crew onAtlantis in 2006.[31][32] |
| STS-116 | 24 July 2003 | Atlantis |
| Assembly mission to theInternational Space Station, delivering the third port truss segment (ITS P5), logistics and supplies. This mission launched with some of the same crew members onDiscovery in 2006. It would also have carried out a station crew rotation.[16][33] |
| STS-117 | 2 October 2003 | Endeavour |
| Assembly mission to theInternational Space Station to conduct ISS-13A, delivering the second starboard truss segment (ITS S3/S4), a solar array set, and batteries. This mission launched with some of the same crew members onAtlantis in 2007.[34] |
| STS-118 | 13 November 2003 | Columbia |
| Assembly mission to theInternational Space Station to conduct ISS-13A.1, delivering the third starboard truss segment (ITS S5) and station supplies. It would have beenColumbia's first ISS visit. This mission launched with some of the same crew members onEndeavour in 2007.[14][35] |
| STS-119 | 15 January 2004 | Atlantis |
| Assembly mission to theInternational Space Station to conduct ISS-15A and carry out a station crew rotation. This mission was conducted with a different crew onDiscovery in 2009. |
| STS-120 | 19 February 2004 | Endeavour |
| Assembly mission to theInternational Space Station to conduct assembly mission ISS-10A, delivering the second of three station connecting modules,Harmony. With this mission, the ISS US Orbital Segment would have been completed. This mission was carried out with a different crew onDiscovery in 2007. Only Stephanie Wilson would be retained on the crew. |
| STS-121 | 1 July 2004 | Discovery | Assembly mission to theInternational Space Station to conduct assembly mission ISS-9A.1, delivering theScience Power Platform with four solar arrays to the station, and to have carried out a station crew rotation.[18][36] | |
| STS-122 | 15 April 2004 | Columbia | Intended to conduct the fourthHubble Space Telescope servicing mission, which was ultimately carried out bySTS-125 in 2009.[14][37] | |
| STS-123 | October 2004 | Atlantis | Resupply mission ISS-UF4 to theInternational Space Station.[16][38] | |
| STS-124 | December 2004 | Endeavour | Assembly mission ISS-1J/A to theInternational Space Station, delivering the Japanese JEM ELM PS module and SPP to the station.[32][39] | |
| STS-125 | February 2005 | Discovery | Assembly mission ISS-1J to theInternational Space Station, delivering the JapaneseKibo Experiment Module and JEM RMS to the station.[18][40] | |
| STS-126 | April 2005 | Endeavour | Resupply mission ISS-UF3 to theInternational Space Station.[32][41] | |
| STS-127 | June 2005 | Discovery | Assembly mission ISS-1E to theInternational Space Station, delivering the EuropeanColumbus module.[18][42] | |
| STS-128 | August 2005 | Columbia | Intended to carry out the fifthHubble Space Telescope servicing mission, which ultimately was not conducted.[14][43] | |
| STS-129 | October 2005 | Discovery | Assembly mission ISS-2J/A to theInternational Space Station, delivering the Japanese hardware JEM EF and theCupola.[18][44] | |
| STS-130 | February 2006 | Endeavour | Resupply mission ISS-UF5 to theInternational Space Station.[32][45] | |
| STS-131 | April 2006 | Atlantis | Assembly mission ISS-14A to theInternational Space Station, delivering 4 SPP arrays and the MMOD. No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[16][46] | |
| STS-132 | June 2006 | Discovery | Resupply mission ISS-UF6 to theInternational Space Station. No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[18][47] | |
| STS-133 | August 2006 | Endeavour | Assembly mission ISS-20A to theInternational Space Station, deliveringTranquility. No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[32][48] | |
| STS-134 | October 2006 | Atlantis | Assembly mission ISS-16A to theInternational Space Station, delivering theHabitation Module. No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[16][49] | |
| STS-135 | February 2007 | Endeavour | Assembly mission ISS-17A to theInternational Space Station, delivering aMulti-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)) withDestiny lab racks and a CBA to the station. No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[32][50] | |
| STS-136 | April 2007 | Discovery | Assembly mission ISS-18A to theInternational Space Station, delivering the first USCrew Return Vehicle (CRV). No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[18][51] | |
| STS-137 | July 2007 | Atlantis | Assembly mission ISS-19A to theInternational Space Station, delivering an MPLM and other station hardware. No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[16][52] | |
| STS-138 | October 2007 | Discovery | Resupply mission ISS-UF7 to theInternational Space Station. TheCentrifuge Accommodations Module would also have been delivered to the station. No crew had been named at the time of cancellation.[18][53] |
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