The Challenger was named after a US Navy ship which explored the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from 1872 to 1876 . Challenger was also the name of the Apollo 17 Lunar Excursion Module . Challenger was named after two previous vessels : HMS Challenger , a British corvette that was the command ship for the Challenger Expedition , a pioneering global marine research expedition undertaken from 1872 through 1876 ; and the Apollo 17 lunar module Challenger , which landed on the Moon in 1972 .