On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The disaster killed all seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian astronaut. A failure in an O-ring seal on a solid rocket booster, worsened by cold weather, caused the explosion. Watched live by millions, the tragedy shocked the world and halted NASA’s shuttle program for over two years. Investigations revealed design flaws and organizational

On January 28, 1986, the NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after lift-off from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members. It has been called the worst moment in the history of the American space program. #9News | 9 News

35 YEARS LATER: On this day in 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts on board. The Challenger broke apart at 11:39 a.m., falling into the Atlantic Ocean. Investigators would later discover the disaster was caused by the failure of an “O ring” seal in one of the two solid-fuel rockets. As a result of the horrific accident, NASA did not send astronauts into space for more than two years as it redesigned a number of space shuttle features for improv