The Challenger shuttle crew, of seven astronauts--including the specialties of pilot, aerospace engineers, and scientists-- died tragically in the explosion of their spacecraft during the launch of STS-51-L from the Kennedy Space Center about 11:40 a.m., EST, on January 28, 1986. Reagan's national address was written by Peggy Noonan, and was listed as one of the most significant speeches of the 20th century in a survey of 137 communication scholars. Challenger Explosion: How Groupthink and Other Causes Led to the Tragedy By January of 1986 America was already bored with spaceflight. Challenger explosion, 1986 U.S. space shuttle Challenger just seconds after its explosive destruction on January 28, 1986. After a discussion with his aides, Reagan postponed the State of the Union, and instead addressed the nation about the disaster from the Oval Office of the White House. It … The crew of the space shuttle Challenger's STS-51L mission, which ended in tragedy 73 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986. The crew members of space shuttle Challenger flight 51-L, leave their quarters for the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 27, 1986. The Challenger shuttle crew, of seven astronauts--including the specialties of pilot, aerospace engineers, and scientists-- died tragically in the explosion of their spacecraft during the launch of STS-51-L from the Kennedy Space Center about 11:40 a.m., EST, on January 28, 1986. Relatively few people actually saw the Challenger disaster unfold on live television. Born on April 30, 1945, Challenger pilot Michael … The last words captured by the fight voice recorder in Challenger were not Commander Francis Scobee’s haunting, “Go at throttle up.” Three seconds later, Pilot Michael Smith uttered, “Uh oh,” at the very moment that all electronic data from the spacecraft was lost. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which happened 28 years ago in 1986, killed all seven crew members on board. It finished with the following statement, whi… From left are Ellison Onizuka, Mike Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Dick Scobee, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair and Judith Resnik. It was, in part, NASA’s own fault. NASA lost seven of its own on the morning of Jan. 28, 1986, when a booster engine failed, causing the Shuttle Challenger to break apart just 73 seconds after launch. This 1986 photo shows the crew of the space shuttle Challenger. In the wake of the disaster, it was widely believed that the crew cabin was destroyed in the explosion. The fate of the Challenger crew. Frosty conditions caused a special gasket to become fragile. We know that," Musgrave said.IMAGES: Remembering Challenger Mission Musgrave said the crew survived in the iconic white cloud seen after the explosion 73 seconds into the mission. But the takeaway message is the one from the paper’s initial disaster coverage: “After Challenger explosion, space’s age of innocence ends.” Image via AP. President Ronald Reagan had been scheduled to give the 1986 State of the Union Address on the evening of the Challenger disaster. It reveals the comments of Commander Francis R.Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialist 1 Ellison S. Onizuka, and Mission Specialist 2 Judith A. Resnik for the period of T-2:05 prior to launch through approximately T+73 seconds when loss of all data occurred. Myth #3: The crew died instantly The flight, and the astronauts’ lives, did not end at that point, 73 seconds after launch. In the wake of the disaster, it was widely believed that the crew cabin was destroyed in the explosion. The explosion that destroyed Challenger was caused by a cracked seal on a solid rocket booster, far behind the crew cabin, near the craft's base.

The explosion without smoke clouds, would be a quick bust of fire, and gone, survivable in some cases to the fact that they were wearing Space Suits. Editorial Note: This is a transcript of the Challenger operational recorder voice tape. Claim: Say that the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle disaster was a hoax and that the crew did not die and are still alive today. A NASA tape reveals that the crew of the shuttle Challenger not only survived the explosion that ripped the vessel apart; they screamed, cried cursed and prayed for three minutes before they slammed into the Atlantic and perished on January 28, 1986.