STS-26 was the 26th
NASA Space Shuttle mission and the seventh flight of the orbiter
Discovery. The mission launched from
Kennedy Space Center,
Florida, on 29 September 1988, and landed four days later on 3 October. STS-26 was declared the "Return to Flight" mission, being the first mission after the
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of 28 January 1986. It was the first mission since
STS-9 to use the original STS numbering system, the first to have all its crew members wear
pressure suits for launch and landing since
STS-4, and the first mission with bailout capacity since STS-4. STS-26 was also the first all-veteran crew mission since
Apollo 11, with all of its crew members having flown at least one prior mission.