On this fateful day in 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-51-L) exploded 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members, which included five NASA astronauts and two Payload Specialists. We at Texas Hill Country honor and pay tribute to those heroes who gave their lives to pioneer space exploration.
History
In Remembrance: 30-Year Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Photo: Kennedy Space Center Photo Archive, Kennedy Space Center, Florida – Space Shuttle Challenger launches from launch pad 39B at the start of STS-51-L.
The Challenger disaster was NASA’s first in-flight tragedy. The space shuttle launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the morning of January 28, 1986. Shortly after lift-off, the space shuttle’s external fuel tank collapsed, causing what looked like an explosion, and the shuttle broke apart and fell approximately 46,000 feet to the Atlantic Ocean. The tragedy unfolded on live TV — and the audience watching was particularly young.
Photo: NASA Human Space Flight Gallery, Crew members: (front row) Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair; (back row) Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik.
Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher from New Hampshire, was one of the seven killed; she was set to be the first civilian and teacher in space. NASA had arranged a satellite broadcast of the full mission for students to watch the historic moment in schools across the nation. Approximately 17% of Americans witnessed the launch live because of the presence of Payload Specialist McAuliffe. Media coverage of the accident was extensive: one study reported that 85% of Americans surveyed had heard the news within an hour of the accident.