Disaster in the Sky

10, 9, 8, 7 .  .  .

It was January 28, 1986, an unusually chilly morning in Florida. A spacecraft called Challenger was about to blast off. Seven crew members were strapped into their seats, waiting for the ear-splitting roar of the rockets that would shoot them into space. 

Challenger was one of five space shuttles built by the U.S. These incredible spacecraft were designed to launch into space, circle Earth, and then land back on the ground like an airplane. They were nicknamed “space trucks” because they could carry a lot of equipment as well as many astronauts.

But there was something unique about this mission. One of the astronauts wasn’t really an astronaut. She was a 37-year-old social studies teacher from New Hampshire named Christa McAuliffe. She was the first ordinary citizen to be part of a space mission. 

The whole country was swept up in the excitement. Just imagine—a teacher going to space! On the day of the launch, kids in classrooms across the U.S. sat at the edge of their seats, eyes glued to the television. Near the launch site, crowds gathered outside to watch what would surely be a thrilling scene. 

Instead, they were about to witness a shocking disaster. 

At 11:38 a.m., the rockets fired. Clouds of bright-white steam curled around the launchpad. It would take many tons of fuel to lift Challenger off the ground and into space. The spacecraft rose slowly at first, sailing straight up. Gaining speed, it rose higher and higher, gleaming in the sun.

Then catastrophe struck. 

A stream of fire suddenly shot out from the side of one of the rockets. And 73 seconds after launch, the fuel tank exploded. 

Down on the ground, people watched in confusion. They tried to make sense of the fireball and strange cloud that had suddenly appeared high up in the sky. Then the awful truth became clear: Challenger had blown up. All seven members of the crew had been lost.

Near the launch site, people stopped their cars in the street. Some cried. Others pounded their fists in anger. In schools, students and teachers stared at their televisions in shock. 

How could this have happened?

10, 9, 8, 7 .  .  .

It was a cold morning in Florida on January 28, 1986. A spacecraft called Challenger was about to blast off. Seven crew members were waiting in their seats. Soon the rockets would roar, sending them into space. 

Challenger was an amazing spacecraft. It was made to fly through space, circle Earth, and then land back on the ground like an airplane. 

But there was something special about this mission. One of the astronauts was a teacher named Christa McAuliffe. She was the first regular person to go into space. 

The whole country was excited. A teacher going to space! Kids in classrooms across the U.S. were watching Challenger begin its mission on TV. In Florida, a big crowd had come to see the spacecraft take off. 

Instead, they were about to see an awful disaster.

At 11:38 a.m., the rockets roared. The spacecraft slowly rose into the sky. It went higher and higher, shining in the sun.

Then catastrophe struck. 

The side of one of the rockets caught on fire. And 73 seconds after take-off, the fuel tank exploded. 

At first, people on the ground were confused. They tried to understand the fire and the strange cloud high in the sky. Then the truth became clear: Challenger had blown up. All seven members of the crew had died.

People watching in Florida stopped their cars in the street. Some cried. Others were angry. In schools, students and teachers stared at their TVs in shock. 

How could this have happened?

Throughout history, humans have looked into the sky with wonder. Early humans surely asked: What are those dots of twinkling light? What is that glowing ball that warms our days? And why does it disappear every evening? 

Slowly, over thousands of years, people began to answer these questions. Now we know those twinkling dots are stars. That glowing ball is the sun. And it disappears over the horizon as Earth spins.

But it wasn’t until the mid-1900s—very, very recently in human history—that it became possible to send a person into space. Human spaceflight is one of the world’s greatest achievements. It required the hard work of many experts in math and science. 

In 1958, the U.S. created a new government agency: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Its mission was to explore space. NASA sent its first astronaut into space in 1961—a few weeks after Russia sent the first human ever into space. Within 10 years, NASA astronauts had walked on the moon. 

By the time Challenger took off on that cold January day in 1986, NASA had sent more than 100 astronauts into space. The space shuttles had flown dozens of times. Challenger itself already had completed nine missions, and it had never experienced a problem. 

Until now.

Through the ages, humans have looked into the sky with wonder. Early humans surely asked: What are those dots of light? What is that glowing ball that warms our days? And why is it gone every evening? 

Slowly, over thousands of years, people began to answer these questions. Now we know those dots of light are stars. That glowing ball is the sun. And it disappears over the horizon as Earth turns.

But it wasn’t until the mid-1900s that it became possible to send a person into space. Humans flying into space is one of the world’s greatest achievements. It took the hard work of many experts. 

In the 1950s, the U.S. formed a new government agency: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Its mission was to explore space. NASA sent its first astronaut into space in 1961. Within 10 years, NASA astronauts had walked on the moon. 

By the time Challenger took off on that cold January day in 1986, more than 100 NASA astronauts had gone into space. The space shuttles had flown dozens of times. Challenger itself had finished a few missions. It had never had a problem. 

Until now.

The Challenger launch seemed to have issues from the start. The shuttle was originally scheduled to take off on January 26—Super Bowl Sunday. But big storms were expected, so the launch was pushed back to the next day. On January 27, a door handle on the shuttle broke. So the launch was postponed again, to January 28. 

Now there was a new problem. 

Freezing air was blowing into Florida. Temperatures were predicted to drop to 18 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. 

Should the launch go forward? A shuttle had never been sent up in such cold weather. 

When the sun rose on January 28, Challenger was covered in icicles. Many assumed the launch would be called off. But it wasn’t.

Around 7:00 a.m., Christa McAuliffe and the rest of the crew had a breakfast of steak and eggs, a NASA tradition. They must have been excited for the mission ahead. They would be bringing two satellites into space, including one that would study a comet. 

Of course, what made the flight especially thrilling for the public was McAuliffe herself. She had been chosen out of more than 11,000 people for the mission. She would be teaching two lessons from space. (“The ultimate field trip,” she said.) Classrooms across the country would be watching live. 

As Challenger waited to launch, its nose pointed toward the clear blue sky, it looked like a giant bird. At 122 feet, the shuttle was taller than a 10-story building. 

And already, Challenger was doomed.

The Challenger mission had issues from the start. The shuttle was supposed to take off on January 26. But big storms were coming. So the take-off was moved to the next day. But on January 27, a door handle on the shuttle broke. The launch was moved again, to January 28. 

Now there was a new problem. 

Freezing air was blowing into Florida. A shuttle had never been sent up in such cold weather. 

On the morning of January 28, there was ice all over Challenger. Many thought take-off would be moved again. But it wasn’t.

That morning, the Challenger crew ate breakfast. They must have been excited for the mission ahead. They would be bringing two satellites into space. One of them would study a comet. 

What made the flight so thrilling to people was Christa McAuliffe. She had been chosen especially for the mission. She would be teaching two lessons from space. Classes across the U.S. would be watching live on TV. 

As Challenger waited to take off, it pointed toward the clear blue sky. It looked like a giant bird. The shuttle was 100 feet tall, the size of a 10-story building. 

And already, Challenger was doomed.

What many people did not know is that the night before the disaster, a group of engineers had urged NASA not to launch. The engineers had been hired from an outside company to help with the shuttle launches. They had designed the two giant rockets that would provide the power to get Challenger into space.

At the time, the rockets were the most powerful that NASA had ever used. They were designed to burn until they ran out of fuel, then drop off and fall into the ocean. After each flight, the rockets were pulled from the water, studied, and reused.

But the engineers had noticed something troubling. On previous flights, some of the rockets pulled from the sea had burn marks. That meant burning rocket fuel was in danger of leaking—and a major explosion was possible. The risk seemed to be greater in cold weather. 

Now on the phone with NASA, the engineers were clear: Do not launch. They had charts and data to explain why. 

But NASA was under a lot of pressure. The whole country was watching. The space agency hoped to launch 15 shuttles that year, and it was already running behind. A delay would also mean that McAuliffe’s lessons would take place on a Saturday, when no one was at school. Lawrence Mulloy, the NASA manager in charge of the shuttle missions, wanted the launch to go forward.

Allan McDonald, the leader of the engineers, was shocked. He refused to sign off on the launch.

“If anything happens,” he said, “I wouldn’t want to be the person that has to . . . explain why we launched.” 

McDonald watched Challenger blast off with a sense of dread. Then his worst fears came true. 

What many people did not know is that the night before the disaster, a group of engineers had told NASA to wait. They had designed the two rockets that would send Challenger into space.

At the time, the rockets were the most powerful that NASA had ever used. They were made to burn until they ran out of fuel. Then they would drop off and fall into the ocean. After each flight, the rockets were pulled from the water. Later, they would be studied and used again.

But the engineers had seen something that made them worry. On previous flights, some of the rockets pulled from the sea had burn marks. That meant rocket fuel could be leaking. A big explosion was possible. And it was more likely in cold weather. 

Engineers told NASA not to go ahead with Challenger take-off. They had charts and data to explain why. 

But NASA was under a lot of pressure. The whole country was watching. NASA hoped to send several shuttles into space that year. It was already running behind. A delay would mean that McAuliffe’s lessons would take place on a Saturday, when no one was at school. Lawrence Mulloy, the NASA manager in charge of the shuttle missions, wanted to go ahead.

Allan McDonald, the leader of the engineers, was shocked. He didn’t agree.

“If anything happens,” he said, “I wouldn’t want to be the person that has to . . . explain why we launched.” 

McDonald was afraid as he watched Challenger blast off. Then his worst fears came true. 

The Challenger tragedy shook the country. Ask anyone who was alive in 1986 where they were that day, and they can probably tell you. People wanted answers.

President Ronald Reagan put together a group to investigate what had gone wrong—and how such a disaster could be prevented from happening again. The group included scientists, astronauts, and military leaders.

During the investigation, Mulloy told the group that everyone had agreed the cold temperatures would not be a problem for the rockets. He said he wasn’t aware of any documents about such concerns. 

That frustrated and angered McDonald, who was sitting in the room. He stood up and raised his hand. He told everyone that his engineers had, in fact, recommended against launching. And they had provided data showing why.

It was a shocking revelation—and an important one. 

When the investigation was done, the group delivered a report that was more than 200 pages long. It confirmed that the catastrophe had happened because one part of the rockets didn’t work properly in extreme cold. Even more troubling was that the problem was well-known.

That was not the only issue highlighted in the report, however. The group said that NASA was trying to launch missions too often to be safe. There needed to be better communication and testing. And NASA needed to make important decisions more carefully.

Would a space shuttle ever fly again? 

The Challenger disaster upset people across the country. Ask anyone who was alive in 1986 where they were that day, and they can probably tell you. People wanted answers.

President Ronald Reagan put together a group to investigate what had gone wrong. The group had scientists, astronauts, and military leaders. They wanted to know how to prevent such a disaster in the future. 

During the investigation, Mulloy spoke to the group. He said everyone had agreed the cold weather would not be a problem for the rockets. He said he hadn’t heard of any concerns. 

McDonald, who was sitting in the room, got mad. He stood up and raised his hand. He said his engineers had warned that the cold could affect the rockets. And they had given Mulloy data showing why.

It was a shocking revelation—and an important one. 

When the investigation was done, the group wrote a long report. It said the disaster had happened because one part of a rocket didn’t work right in the cold. Even more upsetting was that the problem was well-known.

That was not the only problem listed in the report. The group said that NASA was trying to send missions into space too often to be safe. There needed to be better testing. And NASA needed to make more careful decisions.

Would a space shuttle ever fly again? 

It would be nearly three years before another shuttle launched. During that time, NASA made many important changes. McDonald oversaw the design of new rockets. He personally crawled inside each one to make sure they worked. The new rockets would be used for another 23 years—and they never failed. Meanwhile, Mulloy, facing criticism for his role in the disaster, stepped down as a NASA manager.

Space shuttles continued to fly until 2011, making an extraordinary impact on our understanding of space. One of the spacecraft carried the Hubble Space Telescope, which has given us never-before-seen views of our universe. Space shuttles also carried equipment and astronauts who helped build the International Space Station, a science lab that circles Earth. These are just a few of the many accomplishments of the space shuttle missions. 

But the Challenger tragedy has not been forgotten. Memorials to the crew can be found across the country. McAuliffe’s students have always remembered her. (Many of them grew up to become teachers themselves.) And a few months after the disaster, the families of the crew founded the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. Its goal is to inspire kids to learn more about science and engineering.

On the evening of the Challenger disaster, President Reagan spoke to the nation from the White House. He offered words of comfort to the families of the crew, to NASA, and to the countless students who had been watching the launch. 

“The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave,” he said. “The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.” 

It would be nearly three years before another shuttle mission. During that time, NASA made many important changes. Under McDonald, new rockets were designed. He personally got inside each one to make sure they worked. The new rockets would be used for more than 20 years—and they never failed. Meanwhile, Mulloy faced criticism for his role in the disaster. He left his job as a NASA manager.

Space shuttles continued to fly until 2011. They have helped us learn a lot about space. One of the spacecraft carried the Hubble Space Telescope. It has given us amazing views of our universe. Space shuttles also carried tools and astronauts who helped build the International Space Station. That’s a science lab that circles Earth. These are just a few examples of what the space shuttle missions have done. 

But the Challenger disaster has not been forgotten. Memorials to the crew can be found across the country. McAuliffe’s students have always remembered her. (Many of them grew up to become teachers themselves.) And a few months after the disaster, the families of the crew started the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. The Center’s goal is to inspire kids to learn more about science and engineering.

On the evening of the Challenger disaster, President Reagan gave a speech. He offered comforting words to the families of the crew, to NASA, and to the many students who had been watching the blast-off. 

“The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave,” he said. “The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.”