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STS-51-L · CHAPTER 4 OF 4 · 1986–1988
Grounding the program and returning to flight
After the disaster, the shuttle program was grounded for 32 months. NASA redesigned the solid rocket booster joints (a new sealing system, joint heaters) and introduced stricter launch-decision rules.
The program returned to flight on 29 September 1988 with Discovery's STS-26 mission. A new orbiter, Endeavour, was built to replace the lost Challenger and first flew in 1992.
Barbara Morgan, Christa McAuliffe's backup in the "Teacher in Space" project, went on to become a professional astronaut and finally flew to space in 2007 on STS-118 — the first career teacher in space, twenty-one years after the disaster. The STS-51-L crew is commemorated by the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy Space Center.
◉ REÁLNÉ FOTOStart Discovery na misi STS-26 — návrat k letům, září 1988.KEY CHAPTER DATA
doba uzemnění32 měsíců
návrat k letůmSTS-26 · 29. 9. 1988
obětí7
sources: NASA — Challenger (STS-51-L) Accident · NASA — Crew of STS-51-L · NASA — STS-51-L (mission overview) — full list on STS-51-L