It’s one of those iconic memories: the space shuttle Challenger soaring from the launch pad, and then and explosive disaster. Shortly after liftoff the shuttle broke apart and fell 46,000 feet, killing all seven astronauts on board. Thirty years later the nation remembers that day, January 28, 1986.
It all unfolded on live TV. Many in the audience were very young, watching high school teacher Christa McAuliffe become the first civilian in space. Students in schools across the nation watched the historic moment via satellite broadcast arranged by NASA.
After extensive investigation it was determined that a design flaw combined with cold weather to lead to the disaster. A seal on one of the solid rocket boosters was found to have malfunctioned. The accident grounded space flights by NASA’s shuttle program for almost three years.
Challenger lead to many changes in space flight. Robert Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center and a former astronaur, says “But look at how we flew after.” After more than 100 changes to the shuttle to improve its safety and reliability, NASA also changed its culture, to improve listening and questioning. Engineers had raised concerns about the Challenger launch before it occurred, but they went unheeded.
Since the Challenger disaster the space shuttle program has been a success, with 135 missions. Multiple rovers have discovered water on Mars. The International Space Station has housed astronauts for 15 years. New Horizons went to Pluto.
At 9:00 a.m. today a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Space Mirror Memorial. Families of the Challenger astronauts gathered with NASA to mark the anniversary.
In President Ronald Reagan’s speech on the night of the Challenger disaster, he said “The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.”