The crew compartment ascended to an altitude of 12.3 miles (19.8 km) before free-falling into the Atlantic Ocean. The Challenger shuttle crew, of seven astronauts-including the specialties of pilot, aerospace engineers, and scientists- died tragically in the explosion of their spacecraft during the launch of STS-51-L from the Kennedy Space Center about 11:40 a.m., EST, on January 28, 1986. The two solid-rocket boosters continued flying until the NASA range safety officer destroyed them by remote control. Hot gases bathed the hull of the cold external tank full of liquid oxygen and hydrogen until the tank ruptured.Īt 73 seconds after liftoff, at an altitude of 9 miles (14.5 kilo- meters), the shuttle was torn apart by aerodynamic forces. Space Travel: Danger at Every Phase (Infographic)Īs the shuttle ascended, one of the seals on a booster rocket opened enough to allow a plume of exhaust to leak out. On the morning of the launch, the cold rubber became stiff, failing to fully seal the joint. Michael Hindes of West Springfield, MA, was sorting through boxes of his grandparents old photographs when he happened upon 26 harrowing photos of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster of 1986. The O-rings were never tested in extreme cold. Field joints containing rubber O-ring seals were installed between each fuel segment. To make each solid-rocket booster, the Morton Thiokol factory built four hull segments filled with powdered aluminum (fuel) and ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer).Īt the launch site, the fuel segments were assembled vertically. On the morning of 28 January 1986, NASA lost its first astronauts to an in-space accident when all seven members of the Space Shuttle Challenger crew were lost when a booster engine. McAuliffe’s body was never actually recovered, so I guess you could say she’s all around us.Morton Thiokol, the builder of the solid-rocket boosters, advised NASA that they believed the O-ring seals in the solid-rocket boosters would perform adequately in the cold. Jarvis’ remains were also cremated, and his ashes were subsequently fired into space. It’s very peaceful, from what I’ve heard. The STS-51-L mission started with the ignition of Challengers main engines until the remote destruction of the two Solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and includes a transcript of crew conversations from the cockpit voice recorder on board the orbiter. The crew of the Challenger in a 1986 photo. Resnik’s resting place is in her family’s backyard. 28, 1986, seven astronauts were killed when the Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after launch. McNair’s full body was never found, but you can see his wedding band in an awesome display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.Įveryone knows Onizuka was quite the Red Sox fan, and his ashes were fittingly scattered in left field of Fenway Park. Scobee’s body was the only one completely recovered after the tragedy-it pays to be the Commander! He’s now buried in Arlington National Cemetery.Ī couple limbs and what seemed to be parts of Smith’s torso were found following the explosion, so they couldn’t exactly give him an open casket funeral-his remains were cremated and are now sitting on his beloved widow’s dresser. Now that the brave astronauts who perished on that fateful day have been out of the spotlight for a while now, we bet you’re wondering: “Whatever happened to that crew? Where are they now?” It was the second Space Shuttle mission to end in disaster, after the loss of Challenger and crew in 1986. shortly after blastoff that ended with the explosion of the shuttles hydrogen fuel. What was supposed to be a routine mission turned into a national tragedy as the Challenger space shuttle exploded on national television. On Saturday February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana, killing all seven astronauts on board. Actually, its better to speculate on the fate of the crew cabin.
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