STS-51-A marked the first flight of the Space Shuttle commanded by an astronaut from the 1978 class rather than the Apollo era. Both Gardner and Allen were making their second shuttle flights. Walker and three mission specialists – Anna Lee Fisher, Dale A. Hauck, commander, on his second flight pilot David M. The five-person flight crew consisted of Frederick H. A launch attempt the day before was scrubbed at T-minus 20 minutes due to high shear winds in the upper atmosphere. EST, on 8 November 1984, less than a month after the STS-41-G flight. STS-51-A was launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 7:15:00 a.m.
Only three shuttles remain - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.
Columbia disintegrated as it returned to the Earth's atmosphere in 2003 also with seven astronauts on board. Challenger exploded 73 seconds after its lift-off in 1986 killing seven astronauts on board. The prototype Enterprise never flew in space. It must be kept in a covered and temperature-controlled area, NASA said. The 37-metre long shuttle has carved a place into space history, helping to construct the orbiting International Space Station and to repair the Hubble space telescope. They will cost around 400,000-800,000 dollars each, not including delivery. For those with a smaller budget, NASA is also selling engines found at the rear of the shuttles and which run on a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The 42-million dollar cost includes six million dollars to fly the shuttle to its new home piggybacked on a special Boeing 747, but not the costs of the final road transport. The two remaining craft, which were generally used to transport equipment into space, will be cleaned, decontaminated and stored in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida while new homes are found. There the shuttle will join a wealth of exhibits held by the museum which mark the history of flight and space exploration, including a first successful motorized plane produced by the Wright brothers in 1903. One of the three craft - the most complex aircraft ever built which launches into space like a rocket before gliding back to Earth like a plane - has already been earmarked for the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. And potential buyers may have to move quickly. Sadly for enthusiasts planning their own voyage of discovery, the orbiters will only be made available for display in museums and other educational institutes. The US space agency has announced it is selling three used space shuttles when they are retired in 2010, after 30 years of service. AFP - For anyone with an interest in the starry skies and around 42 million dollars to spare, NASA may have an interesting proposition.
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