20 Years Later; In Memoriam

The Space Shuttle Challenger flew nine successful missions before that fateful day of the disaster in 1986.

Shuttle mission 51L was much like most other missions. The Challenger was scheduled to carry some cargo into orbit. One thing made this mission unique. It was scheduled to be the first flight of a new program called the Teacher In Space Program. The Challenger was scheduled to carry Sharon Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to fly in space. Besides McAuliffe, the Challenger crew consisted of mission commander Francis R. Scobee; pilot Michael J. Smith; mission specialists Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Resnik; and payload specialists Gregory B. Jarvis.

From the beginning, though, Shuttle Mission 51L was plagued by problems. Liftoff was initally scheduled from at 3:43 p.m. EST on January 22, 1986. Days went by before the shuttle was actually able to complete the take off countdown. The launch was postponed for weather and scheduling conflicts. Challenger finally lifted off at 11:38:00 a.m. EST. on Jan 28.

Seventy three seconds into the mission, the Challenger exploded, killing the entire crew.
Afterwards, a special commission to investigate the cause of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident was appointed by President Reagan. The team included Neil Armstrong and Chuck Yeager.

The commission's report cited the cause of the disaster as a the failure of an “O-ring” seal in the solid-fuel rocket on the ships right side. The faulty design of the seal coupled with the unusually cold weather, let hot gases to leak through the joint. Booster rocket flames were able to pass through the failed seal enlarging the small hole. These flames then burned through the ship's external fuel tank and through one of the supports that attached the booster to the side of the tank. That booster broke loose and collided with the tank, piercing the tank's side. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuels from the tank and booster mixed and ignited, causing the ship to tear apart.

After this disaster, the space shuttle program was grounded for more than two years until September 1988, when shuttle Discovery returned to orbit.