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On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. The spacecraft disintegrated 46,000 feet (14 km) above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39 a.m. EST (16:39 UTC ).
May 28, 2024 · Challenger disaster, explosion of the U.S. space shuttle orbiter Challenger, shortly after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28, 1986, which claimed the lives of seven astronauts, including Christa McAuliffe, who had won a national screening to become the first teacher in space.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Challenger disaster was the explosion of the U.S. space shuttle Challenger shortly after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28...
- The most prominent victim of the Challenger disaster was Christa McAuliffe, a teacher whose role was to conduct at least two lessons from orbit. Ot...
- The immediate cause of the Challenger disaster was the failure of two rubber O-rings to seal a joint between the two lower segments of the right-ha...
- Space Shuttle Program
- Challenger Disaster
- Rogers Commission
- Aftermath of The Challenger Explosion
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In 1976, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)unveiled the world’s first reusable manned spacecraft, known as the space shuttle. Five years later, flights began when the space shuttle Columbiaembarked on a 54-hour mission. Launched by two solid-rocket boosters and its main engines, the aircraft-like shuttle entered into orbit aro...
The mission’s launch from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, was delayed for six days due to weather and technical problems. The morning of January 28was unusually cold, and engineers warned their superiors that certain components—particularly the rubber O-rings that sealed the joints of the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters—were vulner...
Shortly after the disaster, President Ronald Reagan appointed a special commission to determine what went wrong with Challenger and to develop future corrective measures. Headed by former secretary of state William Rogers, the commission included former astronaut Neil Armstrong and former test pilot Chuck Yeager. Their investigation revealed that t...
After the accident, NASA refrained from sending astronauts into space for more than two years as it redesigned a number of the shuttle’s features. Flights began again in September 1988 with the successful launching of Discovery. Since then, the space shuttle has carried out numerous important missions, including the repair and maintenance of the Hu...
Learn about the 1986 space shuttle disaster that killed seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. Find out what caused the explosion, how NASA responded and what happened to the debris.
Jun 18, 2024 · On January 28, 1986, NASA and the American people were rocked as tragedy unfolded 73 seconds into the flight of Space Shuttle Challenger’s STS-51L mission. Presented below are documents and resources about the accident and its aftermath.
Jan 28, 2021 · The web page recounts the history and objectives of the STS-51L mission, which launched the second Tracking and Data Relay System satellite and carried the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe. It also describes the tragic outcome of the mission, the investigation, and the legacy of the Challenger crew.
- John Uri
Jan 25, 2018 · Learn how a faulty O-ring, cold temperatures and poor communication led to the fatal explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Explore the impact of the tragedy on NASA, spaceflight and public trust.
Feb 1, 2022 · The space shuttle Challenger — during its 10th launch – on Jan. 28, 1986, exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crewmembers and changing NASA's space program forever. Challenger...
