The Challenger disaster
It is 11:39 a.m. EST on 28 January 1986, and the world came to a standstill. Not to celebrate space flight but to watch in horror as the NASA space shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds into its tenth launch. The Challenger disaster was witnessed live by millions across the globe. It is reported that up to 85 percent of Americans heard of the news within an hour. Most of the debris of the orbiter ended up in the Atlantic, as the shuttle took off from Cape Canaveral and broke apart.
The Crew
The crew of the Challenger consisted of five NASA astronauts and two payload specialists. Aboard the shuttle was a special crew member. Schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, selected from over eleven thousand candidates, was to be the first teacher in space. Sadly this huge honor for the teacher would end in tragedy along with all the other crew members. McAuliffe was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004.
Launch
It was an unusually cold morning at Cape Canaveral. This is cited as the main cause for the O-rings on the rockets to malfunction and cause the orbiter to break up in a ball of fire and smoke. The concerns by various engineers over low temperatures and the boosters went largely unheard. These engineers stood and watched in horror as events unfolded as they feared they would.
At 73 seconds after liftoff, Challenger was destroyed in an instant with the two solid rocket boosters speeding away from the explosion, still burning the fuels left inside.
Images of the accident traveled around the globe, with audiences watching in disbelief at what they were witnessing. The Challenger disaster has become one of the most noteworthy events of the decade, and those that were around to watch it unfold on tv will always remember that day. The state of the nation by Then-President Ronald Reagan was scheduled on the same day, but it was ultimately postponed. He opted to address the nation from the oval office. This speech was later listed as one of the most important speeches in history.
Arlington
The launch was NASA’s 25th shuttle mission but ended in the loss of seven brave souls. Some remains of the crew were recovered and buried in Arlington Cemetery in Washington. The Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial still remains there today to be seen by visitors.
