KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – On a cold Jan. 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from a Kennedy Space Center launch pad.
Seventy-three seconds into the launch, the shuttle broke apart, killing the seven crewmembers on board: Commander Dick Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, mission specialists Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka and Judith Resnik, and payload specialists Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, who was expected to be the first teacher in space.
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The Space Shuttle Challenger STS-51L mission was expected to deploy a communications satellite and study Halley’s Comet.
McAuliffe was part of the Teacher in Space Project, which was meant to inspire students to get into STEM fields. Schoolchildren around the country watched the launch, and the disaster, from their classrooms.
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The Challenger crew is honored at exhibits at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, along with the Space Mirror Memorial.
NASA held its annual Day of Remembrance last week, honoring all of the people who died in the pursuit of space exploration and discovery.
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As we reflect on the Challenger mission 39 years later, we want to know what memories you have of the shuttle, its crew and/or of that day in particular? Where were you when you first learned about Challenger’s story?
Please share your memories below. If you have pictures or video you would like to share, you can add it to our PinIt! page HERE, or via the News 6 mobile app.
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