Challenger disaster remembered 35 years later
(26 Jan 2021) LEAD IN: Thirty-five years ago, seven astronauts died aboard space shuttle Challenger, when it exploded shortly after lift-off. The accident on January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds into flight, killed the Challenger crew, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. STORY-LINE: It was then Vice-President George H.W. Bush who in July 1985 introduced a humbled and delighted Christa McAullife to America. A few months later, she walked arm-to-arm with the crew of Challenger on a very chilly January morning. After two aborted lift-off attempts earlier, Challenger blasted off into the skies over Cape Canaveral, Florida. Moments after the launch, the space shuttle blew apart in jets of fire and plumes of smoke, a terrifying sight witnessed by the families of the seven astronauts and by those who came to watch the historic launch of the first teacher in space. In a clear, blue sky, Shuttle Challenger disintegrated over the Atlantic. Besides Christa McAuliffe, the Challenger dead included pilot Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka and Gregory Jarvis. That night, President Ronald Reagan spoke to the nation. The disaster shattered NASA's image and the belief that spaceflight could become as routine as airplane travel. Months after the disaster, the cause was revealed: O-ring seals failed, causing leaks in the right booster rocket. An investigation found some workers had warned NASA about the danger of launching Challenger because the O-rings grew brittle in cold weather. But NASA was under pressure to keep to its ambitious flight schedule and the risk was deemed acceptable. The investigation into the cause of the accident revealed the space agency was more concerned with schedules and public relations than safety and sound decision-making. Christa's parents watched anxiously with others from the public viewing area as their daughter soared out of sight. Just 73 seconds into the flight, the unthinkable happened. It was too much for the Corrigan's, Christa's mom and dad, to imagine. Ten years later, Christa's mother Grace Corrigan pointed to a wall of memories at the family home in Framingham, Massachusetts. Christa, the oldest of five children, took centre stage in the family photo display. "We just had that feeling that NASA would protect them no matter what," said Grace. "But this was just something that they couldn't have escaped from no matter what." Grace died in 2018 at the age of 94. On the 30th anniversary of the disaster in 2016, names of the Challenger dead were read during the memorial service. The former astronaut reciting the names of all 24 astronauts killed in the line of duty over the years, Jon McBride, had to fight back tears. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
