He had flown on the Space Shuttle Discovery and was the first Asian American into space. Ellison Onizuka - Ellison was an engineer and a mission specialist.She was the second American woman in space. Judith Resnik - Judith was an engineer and a mission specialist.He was a veteran of the Vietnam War and a father of three. Mike Smith - Mike was the shuttle pilot.He had piloted the Challenger on a previous mission. Dick Scobee - The commander of the mission.They discovered that a part called an 'O-ring' seal on the rocket booster had failed largely due to the cold temperatures.

The disaster was investigated by a commission appointed by President Ronald Reagan. The Challenger broke apart in flight taking with it the lives of the seven astronauts. However, at 50,800 feet, something went wrong. The Challenger launched into the sky and was gaining speed. The countdown to lift off commenced and at 11:39 a.m., the Challenger took off. By 11:00 a.m., NASA engineers had determined that the ice had melted and the Challenger could launch. It was a cold morning and much of the shuttle was covered with ice. The first American woman in space, Sally Ride, as well as the first African-American in space, Guion Bluford, both flew their historic flights aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.Īfter several delays, the Challenger was set to take off on the morning of January 28, 1986. Most of the missions lasted around one week. The last Space Shuttle flight took place in 2011.īefore the disaster, the Challenger had flown 9 successful missions starting in 1983. When landing, the Space Shuttle would glide to a runway landing. Once in orbit, astronauts and scientists aboard the Space Shuttle would perform experiments, launch satellites, and work on the International Space Station. It was launched with the help of rocket boosters that would detach during flight. The Space Shuttle was the world's first reusable manned spacecraft. All of the seven crewmembers died in the accident including a schoolteacher from New Hampshire named Christa McAuliffe.

On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart during take-off.

Nasa space shuttle 1986