STS-6 was a Space Shuttle mission conducted by NASA using Space Shuttle Challenger. Launched April 4, 1983, STS-6 was the sixth space shuttle mission and the first of the ten missions flown on Challenger. The mission took off from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39-A, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base.
On April 4, 1983 STS-6, the first Challenger mission, lifted off at 1:30 p.m. EST. It was the first use of a new lightweight external tank and ...
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STS-6 was a Space Shuttle mission conducted by NASA using Space Shuttle Challenger. Launched April 4, 1983, STS-6 was the sixth space shuttle mission and the first of the ten missions flown on Challenger. The mission took off from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39-A, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base.
On April 4, 1983 STS-6, the first Challenger mission, lifted off at 1:30 p.m. EST. It was the first use of a new lightweight external tank and lightweight SRB casings.
The mission originally had been scheduled for launch on January 30, 1983. However, a hydrogen leak in one of the main engines was discovered. Later, after a flight readiness firing of the main engines on January 25, 1983, fuel line cracks were found in the other two engines. A spare engine replaced the engine with the hydrogen leak and the other two engines were removed, repaired and reinstalled.
Meanwhile, as the engine repairs were underway, a severe storm caused contamination of the primary cargo for the mission,...
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