STS-61-M was a proposed

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Space Shuttle program The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its ...

mission, planned for July 1986 but canceled following the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster (

STS-51-L STS-51-L was the disastrous 25th mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the final flight of Space Shuttle ''Challenger''. It was planned as the first Teacher in Space Project flight in addition to observing Halley's Comet for six day ...

). The payload manifest was to have been TDRS-D, INSAT-1C, and EOS-1 (

Electrophoresis Electrophoresis is the motion of charged dispersed particles or dissolved charged molecules relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. As a rule, these are zwitterions with a positive or negative net ch ...

Operations in Space). EOS-1 was a payload developed by

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own ...

that would have demonstrated the production in space of ultra-pure

erythropoietin Erythropoietin (; EPO), also known as erythropoetin, haematopoietin, or haemopoietin, is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted mainly by the kidneys in response to cellular hypoxia; it stimulates red blood cell production ( erythropoiesis) in th ...

through electrophoresis. Robert Wood, a McDonnell Douglas engineer, was assigned as the payload specialist for EOS-1 with fellow engineer Charles D. Walker assigned as his backup. If flown, this would have been Sally Ride's third spaceflight. After the ''Challenger'' disaster, Ride was named to the Rogers Commission investigating the disaster and left NASA afterwards in 1987.

Primary Crew

Backup Crew

References

{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions Cancelled Space Shuttle missions Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

Primary Crew

Backup Crew

See also

References