OTD In Space – January 28: Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes After Launch

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing the seven crewmembers on board.

The space shuttle disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Cape Canaveral in Florida. NASA later determined that two rubber O-rings, which were designed to separate the sections of the rocket booster, had failed due to cold temperatures on the morning of the launch. The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the space shuttle program as NASA worked to redesign the spacecraft to prevent another tragedy like this from happening again.