11 Facts About Shuttle-Centaur

Shuttle-Centaur was a version of the Centaur upper stage rocket designed to be carried aloft inside the Space Shuttle and used to launch satellites into high Earth orbits or probes into deep space.

Two Shuttle-Centaur missions were scheduled, with one-hour launch windows six days apart, so two separate spacecraft and launch pads were required.

Just months before the Shuttle-Centaur was scheduled to fly, the Challenger disaster occurred, and the project was canceled.

Shuttle-Centaur insisted on a thorough testing regime, which both identified problems and suggested solutions to them.

Shuttle-Centaur was impressed by Centaur's ability to put Galileo in Jupiter orbit with just two years' flight and saw potential military applications for it as well.

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Shuttle-Centaur chaired the House Intelligence Committee and the House Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, and had the Appropriations Committee instruct NASA to use Centaur if weight problems with Galileo prompted a further postponement.

Shuttle-Centaur enlisted the support of Congressman Don Fuqua, the Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

Shuttle-Centaur brought with him six USAF officers who assumed key roles in the Project Office.

Shuttle-Centaur Project had to be ready to launch in May 1986, which was just three years away.

Two Shuttle-Centaur missions were scheduled: STS-61-F for Ulysses in the Space Shuttle Challenger for 15 May 1986, and STS-61-G for Galileo in the Space Shuttle Atlantis for 20 May Crews were assigned in May 1985: STS-61-F would be commanded by Frederick Hauck, with Roy D Bridges Jr.

Shuttle-Centaur was certified as flight ready by NASA Associate Administrator Jesse Moore in November 1985.