The Explorers' Club, № CMLIX

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-7, Part I
18 June 1983: The Space Shuttle Challenger OV-099 lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center with CDR Bob Crippen, Pilot Rick Hauck, Mission Specialist 1 (M.S.1) John Fabian, M.S.2 Sally Ride, & M.S.3 Norm Thagard; a media circus surrounded Ride as America's first female astronaut; foam shedding from the External Tank was observed for the first time (the doom of the Columbia in 2003).

Commentary: S.T.S.-7 was the second flight of the Challenger OV-099. S.T.S.-7's crew of five set a new record for the number of persons in space launched aboard a single craft, surpassing the four from S.T.S.-5.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-7
No Doubt, "Just a Girl" from Tragic Kingdom (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.