JANUARY 28, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion that took the lives of seven crew members.
The disaster killed everyone onboard, as the shuttle exploded midair 73 seconds after takeoff.
When did the Space Shuttle Challenger explode?
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a fatal space program incident in the United States that occurred on January 28, 1986.
The shuttle took off just before none from the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The Space Shuttle Challenger OV-099 exploded in midair 73 seconds after takeoff, breaking apart.
An O-ring failure blamed on cold weather doomed the shuttle before it even left the launch pad.
Just a few seconds into the mission, a flame was seen breaking through the solid rocket booster that would ultimately lead to the catastrophic explosion that claimed the lives of the astronauts and crew members on board.
The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the Space Shuttle program and the formation of the Rogers Commission, a special commission appointed by President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident.
How many people died?
The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion took the lives of seven people, five NASA astronauts and two payload specialists.
Among those on board was New Hampshire high school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who was chosen by NASA to be the first teacher in space.
The other six crew members were payload specialist Gregory Jarvis, mission specialist Judith A Resnik, mission commander Francis R Scobee, mission specialist Ronald E McNair, pilot Mike J Smith and mission specialist Ellison S Onizuka.
Their names were added to the Space Memorial Mirror at the NASA Kennedy Space Center.
What caused the explosion?
According to NASA, after the shuttles launch a booster engine broke apart, resulting in the deadly explosion.
The Rogers Commission also found that NASA's organizational culture and decision-making processes had been key contributing factors to the accident, with the agency violating its own safety rules.
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