Monday, May 11, 2009

Challenger Explosion



It was the United States’ 25th official space shuttle launch and the Challenger’s tenth trip into space. It was a special mission and included American teacher Christa McAuliffe, who won a contest to participate in the NASA Teacher in Space Project. The Challenger mission was delayed many times and finally was set to launch on January 28, 1986. Sadly, 73 seconds into the launch the Challenger broke apart and exploded leading to the death of all seven crew members. It was later determined that the accident occurred when a faulty O-ring seal on its right rocket booster failed. The failure allowed a plume of flame to explode out of the rocket booster and damage the external fuel tank and attachment struts. By that time it was too late to save the shuttle. It was one of the most costly and tragic accidents in United States history and was all caught live on television.

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