This Day in History: <br />Challenger Disaster January 28, 1986 Seventy-three seconds after <br />its 11:38 a.m. launch, NASA's <br />space shuttle exploded, killing <br />all seven crew members. Among the crew was Christa McAuliffe, <br />a 37-year-old high school social <br />studies teacher from New Hampshire. McAuliffe had won a <br />competition that earned <br />her a place on the Challenger. Millions witnessed <br />the tragedy on live television. In the aftermath, President Ronald Reagan <br />appointed a special commission to <br />determine what went wrong with Challenger. The investigation determined <br />the disaster was caused by <br />the failure of an “O-ring” seal <br />due to cold weather. It would be two <br />years before NASA sent <br />astronauts into space again.
