There were two Space Shuttle flights in 1981, three in 1982, four in 1983, five in 1984, & nine in 1985. S.T.S.-61-C was intended to be the tenth mission of 1985, but it was delayed by numerous launch scrubs. Twelve or thirteen missions were planned for 1986, including the first flight from the new West Coast launch complex. All those dreams ended suddenly with the destruction of the Challenger & the loss of her crew seventy-three seconds into S.T.S.-51-L.
The canceled missions included S.T.S.-61-E, an astronomy mission to study Halley's Comet in conjunction with the Halley Armada probes (Wayback Machine); S.T.S.-61-F, to deploy the Ulysses space probe to the Sun; S.T.S.-61-G, to deploy the Galileo space probe to Jupiter & its moons; S.T.S.-62-A, to be the first launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California; & S.T.S.-61-J, to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope; et al. (Galileo was eventually launched in 1989 [S.T.S.-34] & the Hubble & Ulysses in 1990 [S.T.S.-31 & S.T.S.-41, respectively].)
The Wayback Machine Tour of the Space Shuttle (1986)
"The Explorers' Club," № MCXXXIV: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-61-C, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № MCXXXVI: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-61-C, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № MCXXXVIII: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-L
"The Explorers' Club," № MCXLV: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-L, Aftermath
"The Explorers' Club," № MCLX: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-L, Aftermath
Ad astra per aspera.
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