On 2 Feb 2004 14:47:32 -0800, (ed kyle) wrote:

This idea has already caused enough trouble. STS-51L
could have launched on Jan 27, 1986, but NASA didn't
make an attempt.

Yes, they did. The flight crew boarded Challenger and the pad crew had
problems with the bolts in the hatch, which delayed launch long enough
that high winds of the approaching cold front arrived and the RTLS
landing winds went out of limits. 24-hour scrub, and the rest is
history.

Brian