'Major Malfunction': Remembering the Sacrifice of the Challenger Seven

By Ben Evans, on January 28th, 2019

Flocks of terrified birds fly away in the face of Challenger’s roaring ascent from Pad 39B at 11:38 a.m. EST on 28 January 1986. Photo Credit: NASA

On this day in 1986, the sight of shuttle Challenger exploding in the skies above Cape Canaveral painted an indelible mark on the public psyche and […]

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Missed Warnings: The Fatal Flaws Which Doomed Challenger 32 Years Ago (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on January 30th, 2018

This photograph of the space shuttle Challenger accident Jan. 28, 1986 was taken by a 70mm tracking camera at UCS 15 south of Pad 39B, at 11:39:19.261 EST. Photo credit: NASA

At 11:39 a.m. EST on 28 January 1986, the unthinkable happened, when shuttle Challenger was lost, a mere 73 seconds after liftoff. […]

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Christa McAuliffe's Lessons Remembered, As Space Station 'Year of Education' Enters Second Half

By Ben Evans, on January 28th, 2018

Members of the 51L crew during training. From left are Ellison Onizuka, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis, Judy Resnik, Christa McAuliffe (seated on table) and backup crew member Barbara Morgan. Photo Credit: NASA

Just a few days shy of the 32nd anniversary of the loss of Challenger, NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold […]

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'Go at Throttle Up': Remembering the Sacrifice of the Challenger Seven (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on January 29th, 2017

Flocks of terrified birds fly away in the face of Challenger’s roaring ascent from Pad 39B at 11:38 a.m. EST on 28 January 1986. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de

Thirty-one winters have now passed since the frightful morning of Tuesday, 28 January 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger roared into the crystal-blue Florida […]

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Lost Innocence: Remembering the Sacrifice of the Challenger Seven (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on January 28th, 2017

The infamous image, flashed around the world on 28 January 1986, immediately after Challenger’s tragic destruction. The disaster stalled the shuttle program for almost three years. Photo Credit: NASA

Thirty-one years ago, today, on 28 January 1986, one of the worst and most public disasters in U.S. space history unfolded with horrifying suddenness […]

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'To Touch the Face of God': 30 Years Since the Loss of Challenger (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on January 31st, 2016

Challenger’s final crew, as they should be remembered: Positive and brilliant individuals, happily striving to explore space and further humanity’s reach into the Universe. In the back row (left to right) Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis and Judy Resnik. In the front row (left to right) Mike Smith, Dick Scobee, and Ron […]

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'Obviously A Major Malfunction': 30 Years Since the Loss of Challenger (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on January 30th, 2016

The infamous image, flashed around the world on 28 January 1986, immediately after Challenger’s tragic destruction. The disaster stalled the shuttle program for almost three years. Photo Credit: NASA

Thirty years ago, on 28 January 1986, one of the worst and most public disasters in U.S. space history unfolded with horrifying suddenness in […]

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On Challenger's 30th Anniversary, NASA Reflects On its Fallen Heroes

By Ben Evans, on January 28th, 2016

Floral tributes offer a touch of color against the drab gray and black of the Space Mirror Memorial and the day itself. Photo Credit: Talia Landman/AmericaSpace

For NASA, the fourth and fifth weeks of each year have always carried a somber mood of reflection and resolve, in which the glories of past successes—including […]

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'Major Malfunction': The Final Launch of Challenger, 28 Years Ago Today

By Ben Evans, on January 28th, 2015

Challenger’s final crew, as they should be remembered: positive and brilliant individuals, happily striving to explore space and further humanity’s reach into the Universe. In the back row (left to right) are Ellison S. Onizuka, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, and Judy Resnik. In the front row (left to right) are Mike Smith, […]

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Endearing and Enthusiastic: 30 Years Since NASA's Teacher in Space Project

By Ben Evans, on August 28th, 2014

Mission 51L Commander Dick Scobee talks to schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe about the instrumentation of the shuttle’s flight deck during pre-launch training. Photo Credit: NASA

Thirty years ago, yesterday, on 27 August 1984, one of the most momentous—and, as circumstances would transpire, also tragic—events in space history unfolded, when President Ronald Reagan announced the […]

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