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Name:Karthik
Roll No.:02
ID:2200030009

SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER DISASTER

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a fatal incident on January 28, 1986, in the
United States space program where the Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) broke apart
73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. It was the first fatal
accident involving an American spacecraft in flight. The mission, designated STS-51-L,
was the tenth flight for the orbiter Challenger and the twenty-fifth flight of the Space
Shuttle fleet. The crew was scheduled to deploy a communications satellite and study
Halley's Comet while they were in orbit, in addition to taking school teacher Christa
McAuliffe into space. The latter resulted in a higher than usual media interest and
coverage of the mission; the launch, and subsequently the disaster, was screened live in
many schools across the United States. The spacecraft disintegrated 46,000 feet (14 km)
above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39 a.m. EST
(16:39 UTC).

Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable spacecraft operated by the US National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).[1]: 5, 195  It flew for the first time in
April 1981,[2]: III–24  and was used to conduct in-orbit research,[2]: III–188  and deploy
commercial,[2]: III–66  military,[2]: III–68  and scientific payloads.[2]: III–148  At
launch, it consisted of the orbiter, which contained the crew and payload, the external
tank (ET), and the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs).[3]: 363  The orbiter was a reusable,
winged vehicle that launched vertically and landed as a glider.[2]: II-1  Five orbiters
were built during the Space Shuttle program.[1]: 5  Challenger was the second orbiter
constructed after its conversion from a structural test article.[2]: I-455  The orbiter
contained the crew compartment, where the crew predominantly lived and worked
throughout a mission.[2]: II-5  Three Space Shuttle main engines (SSMEs) were
mounted at the aft end of the orbiter and provided thrust during launch.[3]: II-170 
Once in space, the crew maneuvered using the two smaller, aft-mounted Orbital
Maneuvering System (OMS) engines.

Space Shuttle mission

The Space Shuttle mission, named STS-51-L, was the twenty-fifth Space Shuttle flight
and the tenth flight of Challenger.[1]: 6  The crew was announced on January 27, 1985,
and was commanded by Dick Scobee. Michael Smith was assigned as the pilot, and the
mission specialists were Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, and Ronald McNair. The two
payload specialists were Gregory Jarvis, who was assigned to conduct research for the

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Hughes Aircraft Company, and Christa McAuliffe, who flew as part of the Teacher in
Space Project.

0:00 / 0:39

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For more information click here

About Disaster

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