Challenger: Shuttle Disaster That Changed NASA Challenger: Shuttle Disaster That Changed NASA By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | October 16, 2012 01:21pm ET MORE The space shuttle Challenger was one of NASA's greatest triumphs. It was the second shuttle to reach space, in April 1983. It successfully completed nine milestone missions. But Challenger was also NASA's darkest tragedy. On its 10th launch, on Jan. 28, 1986, the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing the seven crewmembers. The accident changed the space program forever. This full view of Challenger in space was taken by a satellite. A heavily cloud-covered portion of the Earth forms the backdrop for this scene of Challenger in orbit. This image was taken during Challenger's STS-7 mission, which launched on June 18, 1983. Credit: NASA From test vehicle to space vehicle NASA originally intended Challenger to be a test vehicle. Rockwell began building the shuttle in November 1975 and then sent it to Lockheed for structural testing starting on April 2, 1978.

According to NASA, computer models at the time were not sophisticated enough to calculate the stresses on the shuttle during different phases of flight. The shuttle, then known as STA-099, went through 11 months of vibration testing in a specially formulated rig. This custom-designed machine could bring the shuttle through a simulation of all phases of flight, from liftoff to landing. Three hydraulic cylinders, each with one million pounds of force, were used as substitute space shuttle main engines. In 1979, NASA awarded Rockwell a supplemental contract to convert the test vehicle to a spacecraft. This would expand the shuttle fleet to two spacecraft, the first one being Columbia . It took two more years for Rockwell to perform the conversion. Among other things, workers had to strengthen the wings, put in a real crew cabin instead of a simulated one, and install heads-up displays for the astronauts working inside. Work completed on Oct. 23, 1981. Delays for the first flight Challenger was expected to go into space on Jan. 20, 1983, to release the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite , which later became part of a series of satellites that astronauts used to stay in touch with controllers back home.

Several technical malfunctions pushed the launch back, though. First, NASA discovered a hydrogen leak in the No. 1 main engine aft compartment during a flight readiness test in December. In a second test on Jan. 25, 1983, NASA discovered cracks in the engine that were causing the leak. The agency then took several months to remove the engines and test them. While engines two and three were deemed healthy, NASA replaced Engine No. 1. A view of the shuttle Challenger's maiden STS-6 launch on April 4, 1983. In this view, Challenger is just clearing the launch pad in a cloud of smoke. Credit: NASA After another delay due to a problem with TDRS, Challenger launched successfully on April 4, 1983, on mission STS-6. Crew members set the satellite free; astronauts Story Musgrave and Donald Peterson also did the first spacewalk of the shuttle program. Cultural and technical firsts Besides the milestones in space technology, Challenger also was the vehicle by which several cultural firsts happened in the space shuttle program. The first American female astronaut, Sally Ride , rode up on Challenger on STS-7 in June 1983.

The first African-American , Guion Bluford, reached space on STS-8. On STS-41G in 1984, two women — Ride and Kathryn Sullivan — flew on one mission for the first time – as well as the first Canadian, Marc Garneau. Other milestones Challenger marked included the first night launch and landing (STS-8) and the first operational Spacelab flight (STS-51B). Spacelab was a European space laboratory that fit into a shuttle's cargo bay and included several experiments designed for tests in microgravity. It flew on Columbia on STS-9 for the first time, but Challenger's mission is considered the first working one. The flying repairman Some of Challenger's most memorable moments took place in April 1984, on STS-41C. That mission featured the very first astronaut repair of a satellite. To get at the nonfunctional Solar Maximum Mission satellite, astronaut George Nelson strapped himself into the Manned Maneuvering Unit , which was a jet-powered backpack designed for astronauts to fly in space. It had only been tested on one mission before this one.

Challenger moved in space until it was only 200 feet from the satellite. Then, Nelson carefully left the safety of the shuttle and flew over to the satellite. A "fixture" on the front of his backpack let Nelson dock with the satellite, which was slowly tumbling in space. Next, he fired the jets on his backpack to stop the satellite's spin. Crew members on Challenger then maneuvered the space shuttle close to the satellite, reached out with the Canadarm robotic arm, and plucked the satellite out of empty space and into the payload bay. Nelson and crewmate James "Ox" Van Hoften repaired the satellite together, then the crew lofted the satellite back into space. SMM continued functioning for several years, then burned up in the atmosphere in December 1989. Challenger disaster It was a cold morning on Jan. 28, 1986, when Challenger was supposed to fly into space. Temperatures dipped below freezing. There were certain people at NASA and among contractors that worried about the integrity of the seals on the solid rocket boosters in cold weather.

At 78 seconds after liftoff, this image shows Challenger's left wing, main engines (still burning residual propellant) and the forward fuselage (crew cabin). Credit: NASA Challenger launched at 11:38 a.m. Eastern time in front of more media attention than usual, as it was carrying the first teacher to go in space. Christa McAuliffe was planning to give lessons while in orbit. She and the rest of the crew never made it. Challenger broke up 73 seconds after launch in front of the television cameras. "Flight controllers here are looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously a major malfunction," the NASA launch commentator said as pieces of the shuttle fell from the sky into the Atlantic. Salvage crews spent several weeks recovering pieces of the shuttle and carefully, bringing up the remains of the seven astronauts. Remains that could be identified were turned over to the families, while the rest were buried in a monument to the Challenger crew at Arlington Cemetery on May 20, 1986. Cultural and technical problems A presidential commission was convened to look into the incident, chaired by former attorney general and secretary of state William P. Rogers.

It included participation from Neil Armstrong (the first man on the moon) and NASA astronaut Sally Ride, among others. The commission talked about the technical causes of the accident , which was traced to cold weather degrading the seal on the boosters. Additionally, it brought to light cultural problems at NASA, such as failing to voice all problems to the launch decision team. The commission also said that the shuttle's proposed flight rate was unsustainable given the size of its workforce. NASA made technical changes to the shuttle and also worked to change the culture of its workforce in the wake of what happened with Challenger. The shuttle program resumed flights in 1988. After the Challenger wreckage was examined, the pieces were buried and sealed in abandoned Minuteman missile silos at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where they remain today. Challenger's explosion changed the space shuttle program in several ways. Plans to fly other civilians in space (such as journalists) were shelved for 22 years, until Barbara Morgan , who was McAuliffe's backup, flew aboard Endeavour in 2007. Satellite launches were shifted from the shuttle to reusable rockets.

Additionally, astronauts were pulled off of duties such as repairing satellites, and the Manned Maneuvering Unit was not flown again, to better preserve their safety. Every January, NASA pauses to remember the last crew of Challenger, and the other crews lost in pursuing space, on a NASA Day of Remembrance . Additionally, Challenger has an educational legacy: members of the crews' families founded the Challenger Center for Space Science Education program, which brings students on simulated space missions. On Jan. 28, 1986, NASA faced its first shuttle disaster, the loss of the Challenger orbiter and its seven-astronaut crew. Here, Challenger's last crew – members of the STS-51L mission – stand in the White Room at Pad 39B following the end of a launch dress rehearsal. They are (L to R) Teacher in Space Participant, Sharon "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.

Credit: NASA BBC ON THIS DAY | 28 | 1986: Seven dead in space shuttle disaster 1986: Seven dead in space shuttle disaster The American space shuttle, Challenger, has exploded killing all seven astronauts on board. The five men and two women - including the first teacher in space - were just over a minute into their flight from Cape Canaveral in Florida when the Challenger blew up. The astronauts' families, at the airbase, and millions of Americans witnessed the world's worst space disaster live on TV. The danger from falling debris prevented rescue boats reaching the scene for more than an hour. In 25 years of space exploration seven people have died - today that total has been doubled. President Ronald Reagan has described the tragedy as "a national loss". The Challenger's flight, the 25th by a shuttle, had already been delayed because of bad weather. High winds, then icicles caused the launch to be postponed from 22 January. But Nasa officials insist safety remains their top priority and there was no pressure to launch the shuttle today. The shuttle crew was led by Commander Dick Scobee, 46.

Christa McAuliffe, 37, married with two children, was to be the first school teacher in space - picked from among 10,000 entries for a competition. Speaking before the launch, she said: "One of the things I hope to bring back into the classroom is to make that connection with the students that they too are part of history, the space programme belongs to them and to try to bring them up with the space age." President Reagan has put off his state of the union address. He was meeting senior aides in the Oval Office when he learned of the disaster. We will never forget them US President Ronald Reagan He has called for an immediate inquiry into the disaster but he said the space programme would go on - in honour to the dead astronauts. Vice-President George Bush has been sent to Cape Canaveral to visit the victims' families. This evening, the president went on national television to pay tribute to the courage and bravery of the seven astronauts.

He said: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God." Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster 1986 Metropolitan State College INTRODUCTION This article discusses the environmental and human decision making factors that were associated with the launching of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. Shortly after launch, the Shuttle exploded destroying the vehicle and all crew members. The cause and contributing factors that lead to the Challenger tragedy are explored in detail. Focus is placed on NASA's use of a group decision support system (GDSS) meeting to make the decision to launch. Examples are included that show how contributing factors such as multiple priorities and demands influenced NASA from operating in a responsible and ethical manner. Proof that NASA used a flawed database in its GDSS and how it mismanaged the GDSS meeting is also offered. Finally, the inability of each GDSS member to vote anonymously on the decision to launch is discussed as a critical factor that, had it been allowed, probably would have prevented the Challenger tragedy.

THE SHUTTLE 51-L MISSION Environmental Factors- Societal Impacts The Space Shuttle Challenger 51-L was the 25th mission in NASA's STS program. On Jan. 28, 1986, STS 51-L exploded shortly after liftoff, destroying the vehicle and all of its seven crew members. The STS 51-L mission was to deploy the second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite and the Spartan Halley's Comet observer. Paramount to this mission was crew member S. Christa McAuliffe - the first Space Shuttle passenger/observer participating in the NASA Teacher in Space Program (cf. [1]). Ms. McAuliffe would have conducted live educational broadcasts from the Shuttle and transmitted them to classrooms throughout the world. The loss of life and the unique position that symbolized Christa McAuliffe as the first civilian working as a teacher in space had a profound impact on society and its attitude toward NASA and the U.S. Space programs. As this article will explore, the tragic decision to launch STS 51-L was based on long term contributing factors and the use of a flawed group decision support system that was further aggravated by its related mismanagement.

The outcome of this action created costs to society in terms of life, resources and public mistrust. NASA subsequently experienced years of setback for its related scientific research and operations. BACKGROUND Human Factors - Contributing to a Tragedy Although the destruction of the Shuttle Challenger was caused by the hardware failure of a solid rocket booster (SRB) "O" ring, the human decision to launch was, in itself, flawed. The resolution to launch was based upon faulty group decision support information and further aggravated by the related mismanagement of that information. However, as in most transportation accidents, there are usually other contributing factors that help to create an environment leading to mistakes and failures. Therefore, a brief review of the contributing factors leading to the Challenger destruction is in order. Environmental Factors - Demands on the Space Shuttle The process of "selling" the American public and its political system the need for a reusable space transportation system began in the late 1960's. Conceptually, the Space Shuttle was introduced during the crest of the successful Apollo mission. Unlike the Apollo mission, the Space Shuttle was approved as a method for operating in space, without a firm definition of what its operational goals would be ([2] pg. 3). Here is the first contributing factor.

The Shuttle was developed as a utility without a firm application. Therefore, support for such a project, both politically and economically, was not very strong. To gain political support it was sold as a project with a "quick payoff" (cf., [2]). Additional support was gained by offering the Shuttle program to the military as a means to increase national security and to industry as a tool to open new commercial opportunity. Scientists argued to the American people that the Shuttle would be an "American Voyage" ([2] pg. 10) with great scientific gain. Globally, the Shuttle was sold as a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and as a means to improve national and social relations by combining peoples of different nationalities, races and sexes who would serve as crew members. The process used to develop economic, political and social support for the shuttle introduced the second contributing factor called heterogeneous engineering. That is, the Shuttle engineering and management decisions were made to meet the needs of organizational, political, and economic factors as opposed to a single entity mission profile with specific goals ([2] pg. 9). Once functional, the Shuttle became exposed to operational demands from a multitude of users. The Shuttle now had to live up to NASA's promises.

Coordinating the needs of political, commercial, military, international and scientific communities placed immense pressures on the Shuttle management team. First, political pressure to provide a reliable, reusable space vehicle with rapid turn around time and deployment seriously hindered the ability for effective systems integration and development. Secondly, it was not feasible to construct any complete management support systems (MSS) that could consider all of the factors associated with such a diverse group of environmental variables. Third, additional uncertainty and low NASA employee moral was created when the Reagan Administration pushed for the Shuttle to be declared "operational" before the "developmental" stage had been completed [2]. After spending billions of dollars to go to the moon, Congress expected the Shuttle program to be financially self-supportive ([2] pg. 15). This forced NASA to operate as a pseudo commercial business. Therefore, the environment within NASA preceding the Challenger launch was one of conflict, stress, and short cuts [2]. NASA Decision Support System (DSS) - Environmental Effects The probability for disaster was growing higher as increasing demands were being placed on NASA just prior to the Challenger launch [2]. A false sense of security was felt by NASA officials, with twenty-four successful Shuttle missions to their credit.

Just prior to the STS 51-L launch, NASA was an organization filled with internal strife and territorial battles([3], pg. 412). Mangers operated in an environment of "overload and turbulence" [3]. In short, NASA was characterized as having a "disease " ([3] pg.414) of decay and destruction. As incredible as it may seem, it would appear that NASA had no formal DSS program initialized for the Shuttle operations before the Challenger launch. Evidence is strong that decisions were made primarily by "satisficing" and conscious "muddling through." Specific characteristics of decision making at the time consisted of short cuts, compromise and operational heuristics ("operational heuristics; to cannibalize existing parts" as defined by Jarman and Kouzmin [3] pg. 414). In short, NASA was operating in a phase of semi-uncontrolled decision making while trying to serve the military, industry and international research organizations with a space vehicle that had been declared operational before completion of the developmental stage [4]. NASA used decision making by default as its primary DSS. Its organizational boundary was highly political and open for manipulation by any entity that could exert political power.

Upon declaring the Shuttle "operational," the Reagan Administration removed the motivation of NASA employees to manage and left them with the impression that decision making would be made by directive from political sources. The declaration of "operational" status was the critical turning point for NASA and its management of Shuttle operations. Complacency began to grow among employees and safety considerations were traded for time spent on keeping the Shuttle on schedule and "the client of the day" satisfied. This was the environment just before the launch of STS 51-L. THE DECISION TO LAUNCH Group Decision Support System (GDSS) - Situational Analysis A group support system did exist between NASA and related developers of the Shuttle. Focus in this discussion will be placed on Thiokol - the subcontractor directly responsible for the development of the SRB "O" rings. The GDSS system between NASA and Thiokol consisted of same-time/different-place conference rooms equipped with a connected and distributed computer interface. Speaker phones with audio only were also available. On the evening of January 27, 1986, Thiokol was providing information to NASA regarding concerns for the next day's planned launch of STS 51-l.

Thiokol engineers were very concerned that the abnormally cold temperatures would affect the "O" rings to nonperformance standards. The mission had already been canceled due to weather, and, as far as NASA was concerned, another cancellation due to weather was unthinkable ([4] pg. 23). Both parties were already aware that the seals on the SRB needed upgrading but did not feel that it was critical. Though the information provided by the GDSS (with an associated expert system) showed that the "O" rings would perform under the predicted temperatures, Thiokol engineers questioned their own testing and data that were programmed into the GDSS. Thus on the eve of the Challenger launch, NASA was being informed that their GDSS had a flawed data base. At this point, NASA requested a definitive recommendation from Thiokol on whether to launch. Thiokol representatives recommended not to launch until the outside air temperature reached 53� F. The forecast for Florida did not show temperatures reaching this baseline for several days. NASA responded with pressure on Thiokol to change their decision. NASA's level III manager, Mr.

Lawrence Mulloy, responded to Thiokol's decision by asking, "My God, Thiokol, when do you want me to launch, next April?" ([4] pg. 24). After this comment the Thiokol representatives requested five minutes to go off-line from the GDSS. During this period the Thiokol management requested the chief engineer to "take off his engineering hat and put on his management cap," suggesting that organizational goals be placed ahead of safety considerations [4]. Thiokol reentered the GDSS and recommended that NASA launch. NASA asked if there were any other objections from any other GDSS member, and there was not. Group Support System - Critical Analysis There is little doubt that the environment from which NASA and its affiliated developers operated provided an opportunity for significant human error. Nevertheless, NASA and Thiokol had a "golden" opportunity to avoid disaster during their GDSS meeting before the STS 51-L launch. The following factors are offered as potential explanations for what created the flawed GDSS and the associated mismanagement of its information: First, Thiokol was aware of the "O" ring problem at least several months before the Challenger launch. However, the goal was to stay on schedule.

NASA was made aware of the problem but it was "down-played" as a low risk situation. Here is the first element of flawed information that was input into the GDSS. If NASA had been aware of the significance of the "O" ring situation, they probably would have given more credence to the advice of the Thiokol engineers' recommendations. However, the data transmitted during the GDSS meeting from Thiokol did say that it would be safe to launch for the forecasted temperatures. NASA was frustrated over the conflicting advice from the same source. Second, the decision to delay a Shuttle launch had developed into an "unwanted" decision by the members of the Shuttle team [5]. In other words, suggestions made by any group member that would ultimately support a scheduled launch were met with positive support by the group. Any suggestion that would lead to a delay was rejected by the group. Third, all members of the GDSS felt that they should live up to the "norms" of the group.

Although the Thiokol engineers were firm on their recommendation to scrub the launch, they soon changed their presentation of objections once threatened with the possibility of being expelled from the program (as suggested by a NASA administrator who was "appalled" at a company that would make such a recommendation based on the data available) [5]. Fourth, Thiokol became highly susceptible to "groupthink" when they requested a break from the GDSS. At this point they became insulated, conducted private conversations under high stress and were afraid of losing potential future revenue should they disagree with NASA. All these factors are considered prime to the formulation of "groupthink" [5]. Fifth, all parties were afraid of public and political response to another launch cancellation (there had already been six cancellations that year). Each party began to rationalize that past success equaled future success [5]. Finally, the GDSS was seriously flawed. As already mentioned, the data base contained erroneous information regarding the "O" rings. Ideas, suggestions and objections were solicited but not anonymously. Individuals who departed from the group norms were signaled out as unwelcome members. An agenda was never defined and NASA was therefore surprised by the Thiokol presentation.

Conflict management was avoided by NASA's domination of the entire meeting. NASA, at times, became very assertive and intimidating. Considering NASA's attitude, no group member or individual was willing to be held accountable for any comment or decision [5]. The setting for such an important GDSS meeting was also ineffective. Considering that a speaker phone and CPU modem was used, it was easy for NASA to down-play the personal opinions of the Thiokol engineers. If the meeting could have been held at the same place for all members, the outcome might have been different. At the end of the meeting NASA, very reluctantly, suggested that they would still cancel the launch if Thiokol insisted. No response from Thiokol was made and the NASA officials could not see the expression of "self-censorship" that was being communicated on the face of each Thiokol engineer [5]. Perhaps the most significant flaw in the GDSS was when Thiokol requested a private five minute meeting with its own members. Up to this point Thiokol had stayed with its recommendation to cancel the launch. Once disconnected, Thiokol became an isolated member and the GDSS failed altogether.

Once reconnected, Thiokol had changed its position and offered the go ahead to launch without any objection. CONCLUSIONS The Critical Human Factor - Need for Voting Tool Many conclusions may be drawn as to the primary cause and contributing factors associated with the Challenger tragedy. It is the opinion of this author that regarding the GDSS and decision to launch the ability of each member to have voted anonymously was the key factor that would have maintained the integrity of the GDSS and the quality of the decision. It has been shown that just after Thiokol's presentation to NASA, most of the GDSS group members were very concerned with the "O" ring situation and believed that the opinions expressed by Thiokol engineers were cause for serious consideration of launch cancellation [5]. However, only selected senior officials were allowed to vote their "opinion", which they did verbally and at the request of NASA. From the research conducted on this paper, the author believes that had a universal anonymous vote been conducted of the total GDSS membership, a decision to cancel the launch would have been made. The factors which lead to the Challenger incident can be traced back to the inception of the shuttle program.

NASA and Thiokol failed to maintain a quality assurance program through MSS, as was initiated on the Apollo program, due to multiple source demands and political pressures. The GDSS used for the launch decision contained inaccurate data. Engineering members of the GDSS did not believe in the testing procedures used to generate the data components in the GDSS. And, the entire meeting was mismanaged. The decision to launch the Challenger Shuttle and its subsequent destruction had a major affect on society and the management of our space program. Challenger's unique mission and the death of Christa McAuliffe opened the door for discussion and research on how managers use DSS to make decisions that will affect public trust. AFTERMATH Ethics and MSS/DSS - Human Factors Management A complete discussion of ethical decision making is beyond the scope of this article. However, the question of how NASA and Thiokol managed ethical considerations is central to the decision to launch the Challenger Shuttle and, therefore, deserves a brief overview. The first area of ethical concern is the area of information accuracy. The fact that both NASA's and Thiokol's managers had little regard to the concerns of Thiokol's engineers is very distressing.

All members of the group made a decision knowing that the decision was based on flawed information. A second concern is that the decision made put safety last and operational goals first. Only one member of the GDSS expressed serious concern for the potential loss of life [5]. Additionally, open and free communication before and during the GDSS meeting was discouraged through such group dynamics as mind guarding, direct pressure and self-censorship [5]. Individuals who know of a situation that, unless acted upon with integrity might cause social harm, have a responsibility to contact any authority that will manage and control that situation in the best interest of the public ([4] "Whistleblowing, pg. 34). Human factors analysis and management science have begun to define the incorporation of MSS/DSS as a socially responsive way of conducting business ([6] pg. 826). This is especially true for government agencies and large public projects like the Shuttle program. It could be argued that GDSS technology had not evolved to the level of effectiveness that was needed to support the Challenger project. The success of the DSS used in the prior Apollo mission shows that this was not the case.

In the Challenger program social and ethical decision making was discarded for the sake of cost, schedule and outside environmental demands. REFERENCES [1] NASA Spacelink Challenger Press Release, [2] Launius, Roger D., "Toward an Understanding of the Space Shuttle: A Historiographical Essay". Air Power History, Winter 1992, vil. 39, no. 4. [3] Jarman A. and Kouzmin, A., "Decision pathways from crisis. A contingency-theory simulation heuristic for the Challenger Shuttle disaster", Contemporary Crises, December 01, 1990, vol. 14, no. 4. [4] Kramer, Ronald C. and Jaska, James A., "The Space Shuttle Disaster: Ethical Issues in Organizational Decision Making", Western Michigan University, April 1987, 39 pgs. [5] Groupthink videorecording written by and produced by Kirby Timmons; produced by Melanie Mihal, Carlsbad, Calif., CRM Films, c 1991 25min.

[6] Turban, Efraim, Decision Support and Expert Systems, Macmillan Publishing Company, N.Y., N.Y. 1993. Editor's Note The NASA history site on the Challenger STS 51-L Accident at links to many resources including Jeff Forrest's analysis. Reader's are especially encouraged to read and review the Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (commonly called the Rogers Commission Report), June 1986 and the Implementations of the Recommendations, June 1987. The GDSS was an audio teleconference. The slides had been faxed to the NASA meeting site. Mr. Mulloy of NASA testified that Mr. Kilminster of Thiokol requested the 5 minute off-net caucus that ultimately lasted approximately 30 minutes. The opinions in this analysis are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Editor or of DSSResources.com. Some Questions for Further Analysis and Discussion What is a group decision support system? Did NASA and Thiokol use a GDSS? Did the group decision support system fail or was the problem with the participants? What do you think was the cause of the decision-making failure in this situation?

Could improved GDSS technology have avoided this tragedy? If so what was needed? Video, anonymous voting? Web links history.nasa.gov/sts51l.html Please cite as: Forrest, J., "The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster: A failure in decision support system and human factors management", originally prepared November 26, 1996, published October 7, 2005 at URL DSSResources.COM . Jeff Forrest is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Aviation & Aerospace Science Department at Metropolitan State College (MSCD) in Denver, Colorado. He is also pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Information Science in The School of Computer and Information Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. Contact him by email at jforrest@idcomm.com . Jeff Forrest provided permission to publish this case analysis at DSSResources.COM on August 28, 2005. This article was posted at DSSResources.COM on Friday, October 7, 2005. This case analysis was posted at DSSResources.com to honor the memory of Francis R. Scobee, Space Shuttle Challenger Commander, Michael J. Smith, Pilot, Judith A. Resnik, Mission Specialist 1, Ellison S.

Onizuka, Mission Specialist 2, Ronald E. McNair, Mission Specialist 3, Gregory B. Jarvis, Payload Specialist 1, and Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist 2. May their lives and subsequent tragic deaths remind us of the limitations of both people and technologies. Space Shuttle Challenger Crew back row, left to right: Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, Judy Resnik. front row, left to right: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair. Rest in peace. This case analysis is provided for informational purposes only. DSSResources.COM makes no warranties, express or implied, about the accuracy of the conclusions. The Challenger Disaster | 25 Years Ago The Challenger Disaster On January 28, 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take-off and killed seven astronauts. It was the 25th shuttle launch since NASA started service in 1981. For the first time a teacher was a member of the crew. Christa McAuliffe had won a contest against thousands of other teachers. The explosion took place 73 seconds after liftoff.

Investigators found out that the accident was caused by rubber rings that became smaller because of the cold weather. These rings were supposed to separate parts of the rocket as it travelled into space. Gas and flames leaked out and created a fire around the spacecraft. The crew probably did not die immediately but were not able to survive the impact in the ocean. Thousands of people watched on the ground at Cape Canaveral and millions more watched the disaster happen on television . However, space flights were becoming routine during the 1980s. They turned into everyday events that the public did not care about any more. People thought NASA was perfect and nothing could happen. The Challenger blows up 73 seconds after launch The Challenger disaster was the first time that America had lost astronauts during a flight. In January 1967 three American astronauts were killed in Apollo 1 during a ground test. After America had lost one of its three space shuttles all missions were canceled and President Ronald Reagan appointed a committee to look into the disaster. In the following years NASA started to redesign its rockets. Major changes and improvements were made on the shuttle. In 1988 it took off again. NASA had begun building space shuttles in the 1970s.

They wanted to create a spacecraft that could transport cargo into space and be used over and over again. The first shuttle, Columbia was launched in 1981. Three other shuttles, Challenger, Atlantis and Discovery followed. In 1991 the Endeavour replaced the Challenger as the fourth shuttle. In 2003, disaster struck another space shuttle. Seven astronauts were killed on board the Columbia when it disintegrated over Texas. The days of the space shuttle are over. The last mission will take place in 2011 . In the past few years NASA has helped build a space station in orbit and currently there are plans for a return to the moon and a manned Mars mission.

Cape Canaveral = place in Florida where American space missions lift off cargo = freight, not passengers caused = what made something happen committee = group of people disintegrate = break up, fall to pieces explode = blow up flame = hot , bright burning gas that you see when something is one fire however = but improvement = changes that make something work better investigate = to look into, examine to see what had happened launch = start into space leak out = a small hole, that lets something escape into the open lift-off = take-off manned = with people on board mission = flight orbit = a curved path around an object public = the people replace = to take the place of routine = usual, everyday service = here: to send the space shuttle into space spacecraft = spaceship supposed to = thought to, believed to survive = to live on after a dangerous situation take-off = start Challenger Disaster Live on CNN - YouTube Challenger Disaster Live on CNN Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Uploaded on Jul 24, 2007 January 28th, 1986 at 11:39am EDT - The Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes on its 10th flight during mission STS-51-L. The explosion occurred 73 seconds after liftoff and was actually the result of rapid deceleration and not combustion of fuel. CNN was the only national news station to broadcast the mission live, so thus what you are witnessing on this video is the only coverage of the disaster as it happened when it did. Approximately 17% of Americans witnessed the launch live, while 85% of Americans heard of the news within 1 hour of the event. According to a study, only 2 other times in history up to that point had news of an event disseminated so fast - the first being the announcement of JFK's assassination in 1963, the second being news spread among students at Kent State regarding the news of FDR's death in 1945. It has been estimated at the time that nearly 48% of 9-13 year olds witnessed the event in their classrooms, as McAuliffe was in the spotlight.

The 25th Space Shuttle mission altered the history of manned space exploration and represented the first loss of an American crew during a space mission (Apollo 1 was during a training exercise). Christa McAuliffe was slated to be the first teacher in space for the Teacher in Space Program. As her maximum altitude was ~65,000ft (12.31 miles), she never made it to space. That title was given to Barbara Morgan of STS-118 aboard the shuttle Endeavour in August 2007, 22 and a half years after the Challenger Disaster. Morgan served as McAuliffe's backup during STS-51-L. As Morgan is now part of the Educator in Space Program, she will be credited as the first "educator" in space, to distinguish her from McAuliffe.

Aboard Challenger during STS-51-L: Sharon Christa McAuliffe (Payload Specialist - Teacher in Space) Category Space Shuttle Challenger explodes in 1986 - NY Daily News Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 72 seconds into its flight in 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explodes in 1986 NEW YORK DAILY NEWS NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 12:00 PM (Originally published by the Daily News on Jan. 29, 1986. This story was written by Charles W. Bell.) Man’s dream of conquering space died a little yesterday. In a boiling maelstrom of flame, the shuttle Challenger disintegrated 72 seconds into a flight from Cape Canaveral, killing teacher Christa McAuliffe, the first “citizen in space,” and her six astronaut companions.

CHALLENGER DISASTER 30 YEARS AGO: DAILY NEWS COVERAGE America’s ambitious venture to reach beyond our world suddenly became more costly, and President Reagan and the nation mourned the loss of “seven heroes.” “This is truly a national loss,” Reagan said in a national eulogy after canceling his planned State of the Union address last night. “We mourn seven heroes… who escaped the surly bounds of Earth to touch the face of God.” It was the first in-flight disaster in the 25-year, 56-launch history of the U.S. space program - and the worst recorded disaster for either the Americans or Soviets. The space shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lifting off from Kennedy Space Center. All seven crew members died in the explosion, which was blamed on faulty o-rings in the shuttle's booster rockets. (BRUCE WEAVER/AP) NASA immediately suspended its ambitious 1986 shuttle launch schedule until it can determine why Challenger exploded. “We’re obviously not going to pick any flight activity until we fully understand what the circumstances were relative to launch,” Jesse Moore, associate administrator for spaceflight, said Cape Canaveral. Moore declined to speculate about how long an investigation might take.

One area of concern was the amount of ice that formed on the launch pad before the takeoff. Challenger disaster marks 30th anniversary Icicles then formed at various places on the pad. The countdown leading to the tragic launch was put on hold about 9:08 a.m. and resumed two hours later following inspection of the ice by a team of specialists. One of the victims, McAuliffe, was a high school social studies teacher in Concord, N.H., who had been chosen from 11,146 teachers to become the first “ordinary” citizen in space. Another victim was physicist Ronald McNair, 36, whose father Carl operated an automobile body repair shop in Harlem until about eight months ago. McAuliffe, 37, had planned to give two 15-minute lessons from space, with the PBS public television network beaming them to 25 million students in schools from Florida to Canada and Alaska. Her husband, Steven, and children, Scott, 9, and Caroline, 6, were watching from a VIP stand at the launch site, with Christa’s parents, Edward and Grace Corrigan.

As Challenger exploded into a boiling ball of flame, the Corrigans grabbed each other, but it was not until several seconds later that they appeared to understand what had happened. Francis Scobee, 46, was the commander of the planned six-day flight, which had intended to release and retrieve one satellite to study Halley’s comet and to launch another satellite that would become part of the space communications network. Other members of the doomed crew were co-pilot Michael Smith, 40, Judith Resnik, 36, Ellison Onizuka, 39, and satellite engineer Gregor Jarvis, 41. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration refused to predict the disaster’s impact on the U.S. space program, beyond saying that it would temporarily suspended flights. The last flight of Challenger started in the usual flawless, spectacular fashion: The gleaming craft, one of four in the NASA shuttle fleet, had risen from Launch Pad 39-B at 11:38 a.m. after five postponements caused by freezing weather and technical glitches. Smooth Climb On Jan.

28, 1986, millions of people watched with excitement when the Challenger space shuttle took off from its Florida launch pad -- but the excitement quickly turned into horror when it exploded just 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all 7 astronauts on board. (AP Photo/NASA) It was climbing smoothly, trailing a spectacular but normal 700-foot geyser of fire, when suddenly it erupted in a huge boiling ball of fire and shot out of control. The news sent shock waves around the world. Reagan was presiding over a meeting in the Oval Office when aides rushed in to tell him of the Challenger disaster. He watched a replay on office television set, then announced that he was postponing his State of the Union Address, which had been slated for last night, for one week. Reagan also ordered Vice President Bush to fly to Cape Canaveral to lead the investigation. The flight was the 10th for the workhorse Challenger and the 25th shuttle flight, and its loss was the worst setback for NASA since the first Apollo moon capsule burned as it sat on its launching pad during a simulated liftoff 19 years and one day ago.

Killed in the explosion were astronauts Virgil (Gus) Grissom, Edward White 2d and Roger B. Chaffee. Flights canceled Amid confusion over the future of the space program, Reagan said that he was sure that NASA would launch no missions pending the outcome of the Challenger investigation. This might take a year or longer, some experts said. The crew of the space shuttle Challenger. From left, first row: Michael J. Smith, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee and Ronald E. McNair. Second row, from left: Ellison S. Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis and Judith A. Resnik. (NASA) NASA said the Challenger mission seemed entirely normal until one minute 12-seconds after launch, when the shuttle had reached a speed of 1,977 miles per hour - three times the speed of sound. At that point, it was 10.4 miles up and eight miles offshore. Mission control in Houston told the shuttle “Challenger, go at throttle-up” - an order to switch to full power.

Scobee increased power to the main engines and, in his final words, said, “Roger, go at throttle-up.” Suddenly, the spacecraft was engulfed in a ball of flame. On a slow-motion video rerun of the explosion, it was difficult to determine the source of the explosion. But closeups of the doomed craft clearly showed that the huge fuel tank, filled with more than 525,000 gallons of volatile liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellant, ruptured and tore Challenger into many pieces. Boosters fly off After the explosion, the two solid fuel booster rockets - capable of 2.6 million pounds of thrust - separated and continued to fly crazily out of control in the clear blue sky, trailing long tails of smoke as they plunged into the sea. Christa McAuliffe's sister, Lisa, sees the space shuttle Challenger explode over Cape Canaveral, Florida. A voice on public address system at mission control said, “Flight controllers here after looking very carefully at the situation, obviously a major malfunction.” “We have no down link,” he added, meaning that there was no communication from the orbiter.

After a 40-second pause, he said: “We have a report from the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded. (The) flight director confirms that we are out looking at checking with the recovery forces to see what can be done.” Debris raining down from the $1.2 billion craft, which exploded at an altitude of just over 54,000 feet, prevented rescue squads from entering the area for an hour, a Defense Department spokesman said. Mission control reported that the spacecraft had exploded and fallen in bits into the Atlantic in an area about 18 miles off Cape Canaveral and the ships and planes were en route. Shortly after the explosion, the House of Representatives held a moment of silence to honor those on the shuttle. Chaplain James David Ford led members in a prayer - “May your spirit, oh Lord, be with them.” Unlike the shuttle Columbia during its first flights at the dawn of the shuttle era, Challenger was not equipped with ejection seats or other ways for the crew to get out of the spacecraft. Not that it would have made any difference, said experts who saw the explosion.

Tags: January 28, 1986: Seven die as Space Shuttle Challenger explodes on take-off - BT January 28, 1986: Seven die as Space Shuttle Challenger explodes on take-off The US space programme suffered its greatest loss of life when Challenger - with the first 'civilian' astronaut on board - disintegrated 73 seconds into its flight. Print this story Millions watched in shock as the US Space Shuttle Challenger exploded above Cape Canaveral in Florida on this day in 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. As reported in the video above, the shuttle was just 73 seconds into her flight when it disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean in a plume of smoke and fire, stunning spectators at the Nasa base and the huge audience watching the launch live on television. The crew of five men and two women included the first ordinary civilian to take part in a space mission – 37-year-old Christa McAuliffe, who was selected from 11,000 applicants to be the first school teacher in space.

Challenger’s flight, the 25th by a Space Shuttle, had been delayed by bad weather and technical difficulties, but Nasa denied it were under any pressure to launch the craft with safety conditions not fully met. President Ronald Reagan immediately postponed his annual State of the Union address scheduled for that evening and called for an inquiry into the disaster. He confirmed that the space programme would continue, in honour of the astronauts that had died. The resulting Rogers Commission found the explosion had been caused by a leak through a faulty O-ring seal in one of the huge solid rocket boosters that provide the majority of a shuttle’s take-off propulsion. The disaster was a huge blow to the American space programme; the next shuttle mission would not take place until September 1988. Do you remember the Challenger disaster? Do you think Nasa was criticised unfairly in its wake? Let us know in the Comments section below. The Challenger Disaster - Did you know? Nasa’s space shuttle programme began in 1972 with the brief of creating a reusable manned spacecraft that could return from low Earth orbit. The prototype craft, the Enterprise, was unveiled in 1976 and made its first test flight in February 1977.

The first space-worthy shuttle, Columbia, was launched for the first time in April 1981. Challenger was the second shuttle to be built. It began its first space voyage on April 4, 1983 and completed nine missions before its ill-fated 10th take-off. It was named after the British Naval research vessel HMS Challenger that sailed the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during the 1870s. The Apollo 17 lunar module also carried the name of Challenger. The crew cabin actually survived the explosion and a biomedical report stated that its forces were probably not sufficient to cause the crew’s death; they may even have been conscious when the cabin crashed into the ocean at over 200mph. In the previous 25 years of space exploration, only seven astronauts had died in total; the Challenger explosion doubled that number. Debris from the explosion continued to be washed up on Florida shores years after the event. In December 1996, nearly 11 years after the incident, two large pieces of the shuttle were found on Cocoa Beach in Brevard County. Nasa’s safety management was widely criticised by Congressional hearings in the wake of the disaster.

After Columbia exploded on its return from a 16-day mission in 2003, another enquiry stated that the lessons of the Challenger tragedy had not been learned. Space Shuttle Challenger explodes, January 28, 1986 | EDN Space Shuttle Challenger explodes, January 28, 1986 Just 73 seconds after liftoff, NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986. Challenger was on mission STS-51-L, the 25th flight of the American Space Shuttle program. This flight marked the first time a non-government civilian, schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, had flown aboard the Space Shuttle. McAuliffe was one of seven crewmates -- Gregory Jarvis, McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Francis "Dick" Scobee, and Michael J. Smith -- all of whom died in the accident. Jarvis was originally scheduled to fly on the previous shuttle flight but had been re-assigned to this flight and replaced by Congressman Bill Nelson.

In this photo from January 9, 1986, the Challenger crew takes a break during countdown training at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Left to right are McAuliffe, Jarvis, Resnik, Scobee, McNair, Smith, and Onizuka. Source: NASA This was the 10th mission for Challenger. It was planned to deploy the second in a series of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, carry out the first flight of the Shuttle-Pointed Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN-203)/Halley's Comet Experiment Deployable in order to observe Halley's Comet, and carry out several lessons from space as part of the Teacher in Space Project and the Shuttle Student Involvement Program. The flight marked the first American orbital mission to involve in-flight fatalities. It was also the first American human spaceflight mission to launch and fail to reach space. Because the mission was part of the Teacher in Space Project and the Shuttle Student Involvement Program, school-age children across the United States were watching the launch live from their classrooms. President Ronald Reagan made special note of this in his address to the nation regarding the Challenger accident that day.

On June 6, 1986, the Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (more commonly known as The Rogers Commission Report ) stated the cause of the accident to have been the failure of the primary and secondary O-ring seals on the Challenger's right solid rocket booster (SRB). NASA mission archives also note that cold weather was determined to be a contributing factor to the accident. The launch had been approved despite a predicted ambient temperature of 26 °F, well below the qualification limit of major components such as the SRBs, which had been certified for use only at temperatures above 40 °F. Space Shuttle Challenger's smoke plume after its in-flight breakup, resulting in its crash and the deaths of all seven crew members. Source: NASA Evidence found in the remnants of the crew cabin showed that several of the emergency air supplies carried by the astronauts had been manually activated, suggesting that forces experienced inside the cabin during breakup of the orbiter were not immediately fatal, and that at least three crew members were alive and capable of conscious action for some period of time following vehicle breakup.

However, based on remnants found after the accident and transcripts of the moments leading up to the accident, it is believed that the crew died quickly and without full understanding of what was occurring. Prior to this accident, Challenger was a star in NASA’s Space Shuttle program, flying more missions per year than Space Shuttle Columbia. In 1983 and 1984, Challenger flew on 85% of all Space Shuttle missions. Even when the Discovery and Atlantis joined the fleet, Challenger remained in heavy use with three missions a year from 1983 to 1985. Challenger's many spaceflight accomplishments included the first American woman, African-American, and Canadian in space; three Spacelab missions; and the first night launch and night landing of a Space Shuttle. The loss of Challenger and its crew led to a two-and-a-half year grounding of the shuttle fleet, with missions resuming in 1988 with the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-26. Challenger was replaced by the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which first launched in May 1992 and was constructed from structural spare parts that had been commissioned by NASA as part of the construction contracts for Discovery and Atlantis.

Also see: Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy 30 years ago Share Search The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lifting off from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986. All seven crew members died in the explosion, which was blamed on faulty o-rings in the shuttle's booster rockets. The Challenger's crew was honored with burials at Arlington National Cemetery. (AP Photo/Bruce Weaver) This is the official NASA photo of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger mission 51L. All seven members of the crew were killed when the shuttle exploded during launch on Jan. 28, 1986. From front left, are: astronauts Michael J. Smith, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, and Ronald E. McNair. Rear left are: Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik. (AP Photo The Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 11:38 a.m., EST, January 28, 1986. The entire crew of seven was lost in the explosion 73 seconds into the launch.

(AP Photo/NASA) Traveling at nearly 2,000 miles-per-hour, the United States space shuttle Challenger; explodes shortly after being launched from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 28, 1986, taking its crew of seven to instant death. Pictures are from a television replay of the disaster as recorded in London. (AP Photo) The Space Shuttle mission 51-L explodes after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Jan. 28, 1986 with a crew of seven aboard. The explosion came after liftoff but NASA officials say there were no apparent problems at the time. The Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger also was reported to have exploded on impact in the water Challenger also was reported to have exploded on impact in the water. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) The remains of the crew of the space shuttle 'Challenger' are moved from the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, on board a Military Airlift Command C-141, 29th April 1986. NASA officials, a military guard of honour and escorts from the Astronaut Office are present for the departure.

The seven crew members of the 'Challenger' died on 28th January 1986, when the shuttle broke up shortly after take-off. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images) The crew for the Space Shuttle Challenger flight 51-L leaves their quarters for the launch pad, Jan. 27, 1986, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Front to back are Commander Francis Scobee, Mission Spl. Judith Resnik, Mission Spl. Ronald McNair, Payload Spl. Gregory Jarvis, Mission Spl. Ellison Onizuka, teacher Christa McAuliffe, and pilot Michael Smith. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) A puff of smoke is visible from the right hand solid rocket booster just seconds after the boosters fired, launching the Challenger and its crew of seven, Jan. 28, 1986. (AP Photo/NASA) Icicles are visible in this photo taken by a NASA ice inspection team the morning of the Space Shuttle Challenger's final launch, Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Jan. 28, 1986.

The icicles are on hand rails and support structure of the Fixed Service Structure, which is used to service the shuttle just before launch. The shuttle, its external fuel tank, and left side solid rocket booster motor, are visible in the background. (AP Photo/NASA) The family of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was America's first astronaut, realize the horror after the Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger blew apart after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986. The sister of Christa, Betsy, left, and parents Grace and Ed Corrigan console each other after the explosion. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Two unidentified spectators at the Kennedy Space Center react after they witnessed the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, Jan. 28, 1986. The shuttle, which carried a crew of seven, exploded just moments after takeoff. (AP Photo) This photo shows a portion of the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle on Jan. 28, 1986 at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The seven crew members perished in the explosion.

One of the shuttle's booster rockets, whose faulty O-rings were blamed for the disaster, shoots off to the right. (AP Photo/NASA) Classmates of the son of America's first school teacher astronaut cheer as the space shuttle Challenger lifts skyward from Pad 39B, Jan. 28, 1986. Their delight soon turned into horror as the shuttle exploded about 70 seconds into flight. The boy in the white hat and glasses at center is not a schoolmate but is Peter Billingsley, spokesman for the young astronaut program. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) The American flag in the press site at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., flies at half-mast, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986, following the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. NASA said the crew of seven aboard the craft died in the explosion. Launch pad B is shown under the flag. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Young Scott McAuliffe's third grade teacher comforts one of her charges as another youngster and a young woman, right, react after seeing the Space Shuttle Challenger explode in midair, killing all aboard, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986.

The teacher and student are from the Kimbell Elementary School in Concord, N.H., where young McAuliffe, son of space school teacher Christa McAuliffe, is a student. (AP Photo) The body of the first teacher chosen for space, Christa McAuliffe, is carried by an honor guard to a C-141 Starlifter jet in Florida, April 29, 1986 where she and six other Space Shuttle Challenger astronauts will be flown to Dover, Del. The Astronauts were killed in Mission 51-L on January 28th. (AP Photo) The left side of the Space Shuttle Challenger is seen in a hangar at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., April 9, 1986. Reporters and photographers were allowed to see the wreckage of the shuttle for the first time today. The Challenger exploded just after takeoff on Jan. 28, killing all seven crew members. (AP Photo/Doug Jennings) FILE - The Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger is destroyed by an explosion shortly after it lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 28, 1986. Thursday, Jan.

28, 2016, marks the 30th anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which killed all seven crew members. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) Richard Greene adjusts a letter as he sets up a billboard outside a Concord, New Hampshire motel on Thursday, Jan. 30, 1986. Teacher Christa McAuliffe, who taught at Concord High School, was a crewmember aboard the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger. (AP Photo/Peter Southwick) An unidentified boy looks at a shrine set up in memory of Christa McAuliffe at St. John's Church in Concord, New Hampshire on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 1986, following a memorial service in her honor. McAuliffe was killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on Tuesday. (AP Photo/David Tenenbaum) Kennedy Space Center workers enroute to Pad 39B were met by the sight of seven small American flags along side the road, Jan. 30, 1986. Seven crew members were killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on Tuesday which was launched from Pad 39B.

(AP Photo/Phil Sandlin) Coast guardsmen retrieve debris from the space shuttle Challenger, Jan. 31, 1986, off the coast of Florida. The Challenger exploded shortly after take off, killing its crew of seven. (AP Photo/Pool) A billboard showing the date of the space shuttle Challenger disaster along with the names of the seven astronauts who lost their lives aboard the shuttle stands on a hill overlooking motorists passing by on Pulaski Highway in Baltimore, Maryland on Jan. 31, 1986. (AP Photo/Joe Giza) An estimated crowd of 2500 peopled gather around the foot of the Statehouse steps in Concord, New Hampshire, Friday, Jan. 31, 1986 to participate in a memorial service for Concord High School teacher Christa McAuliffe who was killed in the space shuttle Challenger explosion on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Bob LaPree) A delegation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 10131, Cape Canaveral, Florida carrying seven wreaths, ride a boat into the Atlantic ocean, Monday, Feb.

3, 1986 to drop the wreaths in honor of the seven crew members killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) U.S. President Ronald Reagan, center, is surrounded by members of his senior staff as he watches a TV replay of the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, on February 3, 1986, at the White House in Washington. From left are: Larry Speakes, deputy White House press secretary; Presidential Assistant Dennis Thomas; Special Assistant Jim Kuhn; Reagan; White House Communications Director Patrick Buchanan, and Chief of Staff Donald Regan. (AP Photo/Craig Fujii) Suzanne and Chris Butler prepare to put a wreath on the door of mission specialist Ellison Onizuka in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986. Onizuka was aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded. (AP Photo) A military ambulance, right of center with lights on, waits for the U.S.S. Preserver to unload its cargo after it arrived at the Trident Submarine Docks at Port Canaveral, March 17, 1986.

The Preserver was carrying debris from the space shuttle Challenger and reportedly the remains of crew members. (AP Photo/Bruce Weaver) The giant salvage ship, the Stener Workhorse comes to port as storm clouds darken overhead and waves crash against the jetties at Port Canaveral, Florida on Friday, March 14, 1986. The Stener Workhorse was one of the largest ships being used for salvage work in an area where Space Shuttle Challenger crashed into the sea following the explosion that ripped it apart on January 28th. (AP Photo/Thom Baur) Senior class President Carina Dolcino is stunned by the news that the space shuttle carrying Concord High School teacher Christa McAuliffe exploded after launch Concord, New Hampshire on Jan. 28, 1986. Students at the school watched the launch on television sets scattered throughout the school. A gala celebration had been planned for a successful launch. (AP Photo/Ken Williams/Concord Monitor) Reporters and photographers examine the wreckage of the space shuttle Challenger for the first time, April 9, 1986, at the Kennedy Space Center. The Challenger exploded just after lift off on Jan.

28, killing all seven crew members aboard. (AP Photo/Pool) A military honor guard carries the remains of one of the crew members of the Space Shuttle Challenger at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Tuesday, April 29, 1986, as the body was being transferred to Dover, Del. Seven crew members were killed in the Jan. 28th explosion. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin) The bodies of the seven space shuttle Challenger astronauts, killed in an explosion after take off Jan. 28, are carried by an honor guard past Chief of Flight Crew Operations, George Abbey as they are loaded aboard a C-141B Starlifter, April 29, 1986. (AP Photo/Paul Kizzle) The front landing gear of the Space Shuttle Challenger as well as other structural components can be seen in this photograph taken in the storage area of the Kennedy Space Centers logistics building on June 12, 1986. NASA has recovered 35 percent of the shuttle, 50 percent of the solid rocket boosters and 15 percent of the external fuel tank.

(AP Photo/James Neihouse) Workmen shift a huge crate containing debris from the Space Shuttle Challenger as it is lowered into an unused Minuteman missile silo at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 1987. The silos are 78 feet deep and were filled with the debris. Challenger exploded shortly after it was launch on January 28th last year, killing all seven crewmen aboard. (AP Photo/Jim Neihouse) This photo, taken seconds after the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle on Jan. 28, 1986, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The seven crew members perished in the explosion. One of the shuttle's booster rockets, whose faulty O-rings were blamed for the disaster, shoots off to the right. (AP Photo/NASA) The Space Shuttle Challenger is making its final journey this week as workers transport the debris recovered after the January 28, 1986 accident to a storage site on the Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 20, 1986. An unused Minuteman Missile silo is being used to store debris.

All boxes and pieces such as the one pictured here are numbered and catalogued for retrieval if necessary. (AP Photo/James Neihouse) The Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Jan. 28, 1986, in a cloud of smoke with a crew of seven aboard. The shuttle exploded after this photo, taken from atop the Vehicular Assembly Building, was made. (AP Photo/Thom Baur) The family of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was America's first astronaut, realize the horror after the Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger blew apart after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986. The sister of Christa, Betsy, left, and parents Grace and Ed Corrigan console each other after the explosion. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) Spectators in the VIP area at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., watch as the Space Shuttle Challenger lifts from Pad 39-B, January 28, 1986. The shuttle, carrying a crew of seven, including the first teacher in space, exploded about 73 seconds after launch. All were killed.

(AP Photo/Bruce Weaver) Debris from the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger is unloaded by from Coast Guard cutter Dallas, Feb. 19, 1986. The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28 killed all seven crew members. (AP Photo) Teacher Christa McAuliffe smiles after she was suited up for her space flight at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Jan. 27, 1986. At rear is the hatch McAuliffe entered the space shuttle Challenger which is scheduled for launch. (AP Photo) In this 1986 file picture, members of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident walk past the solid rocket boosters and the external tank of a shuttle being fitted in the Vehicle Assembly building at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Pool, File) TV monitor shots of Space Shuttle Challenger Flight 51-L, crew, Jan. 28, 1986. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Space Shuttle Challenger Flight 51-L, Lt. Commander Jim Simpson, briefs newsmen, Jan.

29, 1986, on the operation of Coast Guard ships searching the Atlantic Ocean off of the Kennedy Space Center, Florida for debris from the Space Shuttle Challenger which exploded after liftoff yesterday. (AP Photo/Thom Baur) In this Saturday, Feb. 1, 1986 file picture, a cross and wreath with a picture of the space shuttle Challenger stand on the shore as a Coast Guard cutter heads out to sea searching for debris from the shuttle in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Neihouse) This is a view of the nose section of the Space Shuttle Challenger as seen by reporters and photographers at the Kennedy Space Center, April 9, 1986, Fla. Reports are that the nose of the craft including the crew compartment hit the Atlantic Ocean after the January 28th shuttle explosion. (AP Photo/Bruce Weaver) John White, National Transportation Safety Board inspector, stands near the left side of the wreckage of the Space Shuttle Challenger, Wednesday, April 10, 1986, Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The press was allowed to view the Challenger wreckage for the first time.

(AP Photo) The right wing of the space shuttle Challenger as it lies in a warehouse on the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, April 9, 1986. Shown in the background are representatives of the media who were allowed to view the wreckage for the first time. (AP Photo/Burce Weaver) Pieces of the Space Shuttle Challenger are arranged in a hangar after being salvaged from the Atlantic Ocean where they were scattered, on January 28, 1986 when the spacecraft exploded. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986 seconds after blast-off, killing seven astronauts, putting all space flights on hold for 32 months. (STF/AFP/Getty Images) The memorial to the Challenger space shuttle astronauts is seen in this 12 April, 2005 photo in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. On 28 January 1986 the Shuttle Challenger, launched from Cape Kennedy in Florida, exploded and fell into the sea. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images) ‹ Special Report: Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - 25 Years Later January 28, 2011 02:12pm ET MORE On Jan.

28, 1986, NASA faced its first shuttle disaster, the loss of the Challenger orbiter and its seven-astronaut crew. Here, Challenger's last crew – members of the STS-51L mission – stand in the White Room at Pad 39B following the end of a launch dress rehearsal. They are (L to R) Teacher in Space Participant, Sharon "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. Credit: NASA Twenty-five years ago today, NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded and broke apart just after liftoff, killing seven astronauts – including civilian teacher Christa McAuliffe – in one of the worst space disasters in U.S. history. The 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster was NASA's first public spaceflight failure and second fatal spaceflight failure. Every year at this time, NASA remembers the Challenger crew, as well as the seven astronauts killed on the shuttle Columbia during re-entry on Feb.

1, 2003, and three Apollo 1 astronauts who died in a pad fire aboard their capsule on Jan. 27, 1967. Challenger's ill-fated flight , STS-51L, gained wide attention because of the presence of New Hampshire high school teacher Christa McAuliffe on the shuttle's crew as NASA's first Teacher in Space. She was joined by Challenger mission commander Richard "Dick" Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, mission specialists Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik and payload specialist Gregory Jarvis. Here's a look at the Challenger space shuttle disaster, why it happened and its impact now 25 years later: Friday, Jan. 28

Question: What was the name of the Space Shuttle which exploded after take-off in January 1986?
Answer: Challenger