Shuttle-Centaur was a version of the Centaur upper stage rocket that could be carried aloft inside the Space Shuttle and used to launch satellites into high Earth orbits or probes into deep space. Two variants were produced: Centaur G-Prime, to launch robotic probes to Jupiter; and Centaur G, for use with US Department of Defense Milstar satellites and the Magellan Venus probe. Its power allowed for heavier deep space probes, prolonging the operational life of the spacecraft. The US Air Force agreed to pay half the cost of Centaur G. The Space Shuttles Challenger and Atlantis were modified to carry the Centaur. After the Challenger accident, NASA concluded it was too risky to fly the Centaur on the Shuttle, just months before its first scheduled flight. The Galileo and Ulysses probes were ultimately launched using the less powerful Inertial Upper Stage. A variant of the Centaur G-Prime was mated with the Titan rocket to produce the Titan IV, which placed 16 military satellites in orbit.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle-Centaur

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1794:

American troops defeated the Northwestern Confederacy, a Native American alliance, at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the decisive battle of the Northwest Indian War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fallen_Timbers

1905:

Sun Yat-sen, Song Jiaoren, and others founded the Tongmenghui, a secret society dedicated to overthrowing the Qing dynasty of China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongmenghui

1971:

The Stanford prison experiment, one of the most infamous psychological studies, was ended after six days, when the simulation became too abusive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment

1989:

After colliding with a dredger on the River Thames in London, the pleasure steamer Marchioness sank in just thirty seconds, killing 51 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchioness_disaster

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

gamin: (dated, also attributively) A homeless boy; a male street urchin; also (more generally), a cheeky, street-smart boy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gamin

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Memories and possibilities are ever more hideous than realities.   --H. P. Lovecraft https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft