The Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion: Alive Today?
On January 28, 1986, the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:38 EST. All seven crew members were killed, including five NASA astronauts and two payload specialists. Millions of Americans watched the launch live on TV because of Payload Specialist Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space. Media coverage of the explosion was extensive, and one study reported that 85% of Americans surveyed had heard the news within an hour of the accident.
In recent years, researchers and…
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