So solid crew members on the challenger

The explosion that doomed the Challenger space shuttle remains one of the most harrowing and heartbreaking moments in American history. On the morning of January 28, 1986, what was meant to be a seminal moment for NASA and the future of space travel turned into a disaster that was viewed on live TV by millions around the country. Further wall-to-wall coverage and years of retrospectives have seared the grainy image of a faulty rocket bursting into flames and the Challenger and its seven brave passengers veering off course into the national consciousness.

The Challenger had flown nine times before over the previous nine years and helped the United States reach several important milestones. The shuttle brought the first woman and African American into space, hosted the first space lab and enabled the first astronaut-run satellite repair. But it was the tenth and ultimately ill-fated launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida