On 28 January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger met a catastrophic fate just 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, disintegrating mid-air and claiming the lives of all seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who had been set to become the first civilian in space.
Watched live by millions, the explosion marked one of NASA’s darkest moments, triggering national grief and prompting intense scrutiny into the flawed O-ring seals in the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters, which failed in the unusually cold Florida morning.
The disaster not only altered the course of America’s space programme but also served as a stark reminder of the perilous nature of space exploration.
