The NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded 40 years ago, on January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who would have been the first civilian in space. “The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives,” President Regan said in an address to the nation that night. “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them,

It's been 40 years since NASA's Challenger disaster. The space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after take-off, killing all seven astronauts on board including teacher Christa McAuliffe. The tragedy unfolded live on television. Investigators later blamed an O-ring that failed in the freezing launch conditions at Cape Canaveral, Florida. #challenger #spaceshuttle #spacetravel #nasa #capecanaveral | 7NEWS Sydney

Forty years ago, the Space Shuttle Challenger launched from Kennedy Space Center after nearly a year of repeated delays. Just 73 seconds after takeoff, the shuttle broke apart, killing all seven crew members aboard. The cause of the disaster was the failure of the primary and secondary O-ring seals in one of the rocket boosters, as record-low temperatures on the morning of the launch had stiffened the rubber O-rings, reducing their ability to seal the joints. The boosters were built by Utah-base