The Challenger Explosion - Mysteries & Disasters

On January 28, 1986, the world watched in horror as the United States space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff. Television film footage captured the tragic explosion and its aftermath, as smoke trailed out of the craft and it fell to the ocean. All seven crew members died due to a faulty "O-ring" seal failed in the solid-fuel rocket on the shuttle's right side. Flames escaped through the failed seal. The flames burned through the shuttle's external fuel tank and a support attaching the rocket to the tank. The rocket broke loose and pierced the tank. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuels ignited, tearing the shuttle apart. The shuttle launch program was not resumed until designers made modifications and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) management implemented stricter regulations regarding quality control and safety. The accident and the ensuing investigation into its cause temporarily halted the space shuttle program. Shuttle missions resumed on September 28, 1988, with the flight of the shuttle Discovery.