Challenger STS-51L

The crew of Challenger STS-51L. Back row, left to right: El Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, and Judy Resnik. Front row, left to right: Mike Smith, Dick Scobee, and Ron McNair.

On January 28, 1986, the United States suffered its first in-flight tragedy. STS-51L was the 25th mission of the Space Shuttle Program, and the tenth of Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger. Challenger, and her crew of seven, was launched at 11:38am EST from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 Pad B. Approximately 73 seconds later, Challenger was destroyed as a result of aerodynamic stress, killing all onboard. The cause was rooted in the history of the Space Shuttle Program: The o-rings on the solid rocket boosters could not properly seal at cold temperatures. Deke Slayton may have described it best by saying, "The solid rocket motors simply weren't designed to be launched with ice hanging off them. We had developed those operational rules over the years: all you had to do was follow them and you'd be all right."

For more information on this tragedy, click here to view the report of the Pressidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.

The crew of Challenger STS-51L pose for a photo in the "white room", leading to Challenger's hatch at the launch pad. Left to right: Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, Judy Resnik, Dick Scobee, Ron McNair, Mike Smith, and El Onizuka.