Space Shuttle Challenger explodes
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NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded and broke apart Jan. 28, 1986, in the sky over East-Central Florida, killing the seven astronauts on board.
Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff while carrying seven people, including "Teacher in Space" participant Christa McAuliffe. Nobody survived the launch on Jan. 28, 1986 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and the event left a permanent mark upon the agency, its contractors and the nation.
A memo sent by the Smithsonian said transporting Discovery could swell in price and result in irreparable damage to the space shuttle. On paper, it reads like a riddle: How do you transport a 120-foot, 80-ton rocket from Washington to Houston? One piece at ...
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman appeared to suggest that space shuttle Discovery may not be relocated to Houston's Johnson Space Center in Texas.
The tragic explosion of the Challenger space shuttle killed all 7 spacefarers on board. A pilot for the mission was from North Carolina.