28 January 1986: The Space Shuttle Challenger OV-099 lifted off from Florida's K.S.C. with CDR Dick Scobee, Pilot Mike Smith, M.S.1 El Onizuka, M.S.2/F.E. Judy Resnik, M.S.3 Ron McNair, P.S.1 Greg Jarvis, & P.S.2 Christa McAuliffe; payloads were the T.D.R.S.-B & Spartan Halley satellites; 00:00:73 into the flight, the Challenger suffered catastrophic structural failure; all seven souls aboard were lost.
The Challenger did not explode. The O-ring "blow-by" damage that had been observed as early as S.T.S.-2 finally burned all the way through, sending a jet of burning gas into the supports for the External Tank. The flame collapsed the interior structure of the External Tank & the righthand Solid Rocket Booster separated. The stack tumbled out of control & the Orbiter was torn asunder by aerodynamic stresses far in excess of anything it had been designed to endure. Both Solid Rocket Boosters careened away wildly & were detonated by the range safety system. There was a fireball due to the mixing of hydrogen & oxygen escaping from the External Tank, but the Challenger did not explode.
We published two "40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-L, Prelude" episodes last year & we aim to publish two "40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-L, Aftermath" episodes in the months to come, on the recovery of the crew remains & Challenger debris & on the investigation by the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (the Rogers Commission). But on this fortieth anniversary I feel compelled to say this: Never forget that the night before the disaster, Solid Rocket Booster contractor Morton-Thiokol recommended against the launch & N.A.S.A. managers from the Marshall Space Flight Center browbeat them into changing their recommendation. The responsible aerospace contractor recommended against a launch & instead of demanding proof that launching was safe, N.A.S.A. turned its own safety culture completely upside down & demanded proof that launching was unsafe. That reversal, though unintentional, had lethal consequences.
The rescue of the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 was N.A.S.A.'s finest hour. The deaths of the S.T.S.-51-L crew in 1986 was N.A.S.A.'s darkest hour.
Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-51-L
The Phenomenauts, "Heroes" from For All Mankind (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)
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