What was the Challenger Disaster?
The Challenger disaster occurred when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded over the Atlantic Ocean 73 seconds after launch, on the morning of 28 January 1986. All seven astronauts on board, including the first member of the Teacher in Space Project, Christa McAuliffe, were killed. The disaster caused a 32-month moratorium on shuttle launches and the formation of the Rogers Commission, which included Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, to investigate the cause of the tragic incident. After an investigation, the Rogers Commission found that the Challenger disaster was caused by the failure of an O-ring seal on a solid rocket booster at liftoff. This created a breach which allowed combustible material from inside the booster to impinge upon the adjacent and much larger external tank, leading to structural failure. The solid booster also separated from the shuttle. This perturbed the aerodynamic equilibrium of the craft, causing it to break apart. Various portions of the craft were submitted
The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster took place when Challenger, a Space Shuttle operated by NASA, broke apart 73 seconds into its flight leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida, United States at 11:39 a.m. EST (16:39 UTC) on January 28, 1986. Disintegration of the shuttle stack began 73 seconds into its flight after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The seal failure caused a breach in the SRB joint it filled, allowing a flare to reach the outside and impinge upon the adjacent attachment hardware and external fuel tank. The SRB breach flare led to the separation of the right-hand SRB and the structural failure of the external tank. Aerodynamic forces promptly broke up the orbiter. The shuttle was destroyed and all seven crew members were killed.
