National History: Challenger Explosion

On this day, in 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster resulted in the deaths of all seven crew on board. The vehicle began to disintegrate 73 seconds after liftoff when an O-ring seal (used in a joint in the vehicle's right solid rocket booster) failed due to the extreme cold. Among the astronauts that lost there lives was Ohio born Judith Resnik. Eleven percent of the American population saw the accident happen live and, within an hour, 85% had knowledge of the event.

Challenger Crew

Judith Resnik