Challenger Disaster: A Tragic Space Mission

January 28, 1986. The Space Shuttle Challenger is set to launch from Kennedy

Space Center in Florida. It's a huge moment, with millions watching, including schoolchildren

who are excited because a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, is on board. But as the shuttle

ascends, just 73 seconds into the flight, disaster strikes. The Challenger explodes

in a massive fireball. All seven astronauts on board are killed. So, what happened?

It turns out a seemingly small part, an O-ring seal in one of the solid rocket boosters,

failed due to the unusually cold temperatures that morning. This failure allowed hot gas to escape,

leading to the explosion of the external fuel tank and the destruction of the shuttle.