picture of the day: The Loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger and all the crew members on board

The Loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger
On January 28, 1986, 73 seconds into its 10th launch, Americans watched in horror as the space shuttle Challenger (STS-51L) exploded in midair, killing its crew of seven–Navy pilot Michael J. Smith, Commander Francis Scobee and mission specialist Ronald McNair, front row; mission specialist Ellison Onizuka, first teacher in space Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist Gregory Jarvis and mission specialist Judith Resnik, back row.

President Ronald Reagan spoke to the nation from the Oval Office that afternoon, explaining the tragedy to the nation’s schoolchildren: ‘The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted. It belongs to the brave…. The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.”

Space shuttle flights were suspended until 1988. An independent U.S. commission blamed the disaster on unusually cold temperatures that morning and the failure of the O-rings, a set of gaskets in the rocket boosters.

Image: NASA

this day in the yesteryear: Space Shuttle Challenger Breaks Apart (1986)

Space Shuttle Challenger Breaks Apart (1986)

Seventy-three seconds into its launch, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated, killing everyone on board. Investigators concluded that an O-ring—a rubber seal located in the right booster engine—had failed due to cold weather at the time of launch, causing a chain reaction that led to the orbiter’s ultimate disintegration. The tragic event was captured on film, and many children viewed the launch live because schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe was on board. Why was she on the shuttle? More… Discuss

Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion (GRAPHIC)

MrTalos1955

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THIS DAY IN THE YESTERYEAR: SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA DISASTER (2003)

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster (2003)

 

 

The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere during the conclusion of its 28th mission to space, killing its seven-member crew. Investigations revealed that the breakup resulted from damage sustained during launch when a piece of foam insulation broke free from an external tank and struck the shuttle’s left wing. NASA learned of the foam strike early on but failed take steps that might have averted the disaster. Why did they ignore the issue? More… Discuss

 

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Today’s Birthday: CHRISTA MCAULIFFE (1948)

Christa McAuliffe (1948)

McAuliffe, a high school history teacher, was among the seven crew members killed when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded soon after its launch in 1986. She had been selected to be the first civilian in space from a field of more than 11,000 applicants to NASA’s Teacher in Space program, and she was slated to teach two lessons during the flight. In 2004, she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. What happened to the teacher chosen as McAuliffe’s backup? More… Discuss