The Challenger Explosion Rocks America
The launch of a Space Shuttle was thought to be routine until this disaster struck.
January 28, 1986
The space shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after lift-off, killing the crew of seven, including New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. The tragedy saw McAuliffe and Judith A. Resnik become the first U.S. women astronauts to die on a space mission.
NASA leadership had known since 1977 that the design of their rocket boosters contained a potentially catastrophic flaw regarding cold weather within their O-Ring System. On the night before the launch, central Florida was swept by a severe cold wave that deposited thick ice on the launch pad. On launch day, January 28, liftoff was actually delayed until 11:38am to allow the sun to heat the atmosphere. But it did not work, as the severe morning cold had reduced the resiliency of two rubber O-Rings that sealed the joint between the two lower segments of the rocket booster. This allowed super-heated gas to begin to escape, leading to the explosion.
Challenger broke up in the explosion, but the forward section with the crew cabin was severed in one piece, and continued to coast upward with other debris, including wings and still-flaming engines, until it eventually plummeted into the ocean. It was believed that the crew survived the initial breakup, but a loss of cabin pressure rendered them unconscious within seconds. Unlike the Apollo mission, crew members did not wear pressure suits, and their deaths were most likely caused from oxygen deficiency minutes before impact with the water.
I remember this, my son was a year and a half we were at my mom's house visiting Nana and Papa. A very sad day for everyone