CHALLENGER EXPLOSION 💣💣

The Challenger Shuttle Is Known As The Shuttle That Changed NASA.

The space shuttle Challenger was one of NASA's greatest triumphs.

It was the second shuttle to reach space, in April 1983. It successfully completed nine milestone missions.

On its 10th launch, on Jan. 28, 1986, the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing the seven crewmembers. The accident changed the space program forever.

The Challenger shuttle was created by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California.

NASA originally intended Challenger to be a test vehicle but, computer models at the time were not sophisticated enough to calculate the stresses on the shuttle during different phases of flight.

The shuttle then went through 11 months of vibration testing. In 1979, NASA awarded Rockwell a supplemental contract to convert the test vehicle to a spacecraft.

First, NASA discovered a hydrogen leak in the No. 1 main engine aft compartment during a flight readiness test in December. In a second test on Jan. 25, 1983, NASA discovered cracks in the engine that were causing the leak.

It was a cold morning on Jan. 28, 1986, when Challenger was supposed to fly into space. Many NASA workers worried about the integrity of the seals on the solid rocket boosters in cold weather.

Challenger launched at 11:38 a.m. Eastern time in front of more media attention than usual, as it was carrying the first teacher to go in space. Christa McAuliffe was planning to give lessons while in orbit.

She and the rest of the crew never made it. Challenger had blew up a minute and 13 seconds after launch in front of the television cameras. Many people were devastated as they watched pieces of the shuttle fall into the Atlantic Ocean.

Salvage crews spent several weeks recovering pieces of the shuttle and carefully, bringing up the remains of the seven astronauts. Remains that could be identified were turned over to the families, while the rest were buried in a monument to the Challenger crew at Arlington Cemetery on May 20, 1986.

A presidential commission was convened to look into the incident, The commission talked about the technical causes of the accident, which was traced to cold weather degrading the seal on the boosters. Additionally, it brought to light cultural problems at NASA, such as failing to voice all problems to the launch decision team. The commission also said that the shuttle's proposed flight rate was unsustainable given the size of its workforce.

NASA made technical changes to the shuttle and also worked to change the culture of its workforce in the wake of what happened with Challenger. The shuttle program resumed flights in 1988.

Challenger's explosion changed the space shuttle program in several ways. Plans to fly other civilians in space were shelved for 22 years.

Additionally, astronauts were pulled off of duties such as repairing satellites, and the Manned Maneuvering Unit was not flown again, to better preserve their safety.

Every January, NASA pauses to remember the last crew of Challenger, and the other crews lost in pursuing space, on a NASA Day of Remembrance.

Challenger has an educational legacy: members of the crews' families founded the Challenger Center for Space Science Education program, which brings students on simulated space missions.

This Was The Challenger Crew That Lost. Their Lives.
Here's a video of it.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V-POaDn2TUI

Works Cited.

• Www.google.com
• http://www.space.com/18084-space-shuttle-challenger.html