Crew members of mission STS-51L gather in the White Room at Pad 39B following the end of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test.
Crew members of mission STS-51L gather in the White Room at Pad 39B following the end of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. From left to right are: teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis, Mission Specialist Judy Resnik, Commander Dick Scobee, Mission Specialist Ronald McNair, Pilot Michael Smith and Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka.
On Jan. 28, 1986, an explosion that occurred 73 seconds after liftoff claimed space shuttle Challenger and its crew. The cause of the explosion was determined to be an O-ring failure in the right solid rocket booster with cold weather a contributing factor.
Image credit: NASA
Jan. 8, 1986