Who died in the Challenger explosion? NASA pays tribute to lost astronauts on 39th anniversary

On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after it was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in just 73 seconds which claimed the lives of seven astronauts.

Every January, NASA takes an opportunity to pay tribute to those who died. This year, January 23 was designated as the Day of Remembrance.

In 2004, NASA began hosting a remembrance ceremony to honor three of the agency's catastrophic events: the Apollo I fire, the Challenger space shuttle disaster, and the Columbia space shuttle disaster.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), NASA stated:

"Today, we honor the heroes of our program who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of exploration. Safety remains our cornerstone as their courage continues to inspire our journey to the stars."

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The crew of the Challenger

The Challenger crew who could not make it into space and back on Earth alive were:

1. Francis R. Scobee (Commander)

In January 1978, NASA appointed Francis "Dick" Scobee as their astronaut candidate. He had already flown on the Challenger as part of STS-41-C missions before his space journey. Scobee had held an instructor pilot position on the NASA/Boeing 747 shuttle carrier airplane.

2. Michael J. Smith (Pilot)

After attending the U.S. Navy and completing roles as a test pilot, Michael Smith joined NASA's workforce in 1980. NASA selected the technically proficient officer because of his expertise in serving as Challenger's pilot manager, whose duties included ensuring a safe launch through lift-off and ascent operations.

3. Ronald McNair (Mission Specialist)

Following his Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1977, Ronald E. McNair created electro-optic laser modulation technology that enabled satellite space communications capabilities. The astronaut team selected McNair becoming the second African American astronaut who journeyed into space.

4. Ellison Onizuka (Mission Specialist)

During his astronaut career, Ellison Onizuka became the first Asian American to fly into space. During STS 51-C, the NASA astronaut performed mission specialist duties for the first Department of Defense Space Shuttle flight.

5. Judith Resnik (Mission Specialist)

Judith Resnik went on to become an astronaut during NASA's class of 1978. While at NASA, she worked as part of a team responsible for the development of technology for space exploration capabilities. NASA had selected Judith for spaceflight on the STS-41D flight that launched in 1984.

6. Gregory Jarvis (Payload Specialist)

As a Hughes Aircraft Company engineer, Gregory Jarvis designed spacecraft systems before his role as a payload specialist on the shuttle program. The space agency had chosen him to represent Hughes Aircraft Company as a payload specialist for Challenger. Gregory oversaw laboratory activities examining satellite developmental research.

7. Christa McAuliffe (Payload Specialist, Teacher-in-Space)

The NASA Teacher In Space Project chose New Hampshire-based social studies educator Christa McAuliffe to be its first teacher representative. From space, she planned to teach students in real-time while inspiring them about space research.

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Details of the accident

The flight was STS-51L and was meant to launch a commercial communications satellite into orbit and send the first American teacher into space, Christa McAuliffe, as part of the Teacher in Space Project.

The launch took place at 11:39 AM EST at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A severe cold wave had moved over central Florida on the eve of the launch, and very low temperatures occurred, which made the shuttle's solid rocket boosters particularly susceptible to the weather.

Despite concerns voiced by engineers at the booster's contractor, Morton Thiokol, NASA went ahead with the launch. The O-rings device designed to seal joints between the segments of the solid rocket boosters were, in effect, made stiff by the cold and did not have enough flexibility to contain the gases hot from the engines during ascent.

As Challenger shot through the atmosphere, it crossed the critical stage known as "Max-Q," where aerodynamic pressure is greatest. Within about 36 seconds of flight time, a bit of solid fuel broke loose under strong wind shear and made matters worse for the O-ring.

At T+59 seconds, a major leak developed as hot gas escaped from the right-hand solid rocket booster.

At T+73 seconds, the Challenger was flying at Mach 1.92 and at an altitude of 46,000, about 14 kilometers, when it blew apart.

The O-ring failure allowed the hot exhaust gases to burn through critical structural elements of the shuttle.

This resulted in a disastrous domino effect, as the liquid hydrogen tank depressurized and ignited upon coming into contact with other materials; it caused an explosion that broke apart the outer fuel tank, which then destroyed the orbiter itself.

Telemetry data captured during this moment revealed that pilot Mike Smith's last recorded words were "Uh-oh," indicating an awareness of impending disaster. The crew compartment remained intact momentarily but eventually succumbed to forces beyond survivability as it plummeted toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Following the disaster, NASA grounded its shuttle program and launched an exhaustive investigation led by a commission appointed by President Ronald Reagan. It exposed systemic failures in NASA's management and engineering practices that had contributed to the tragedy.

The Rogers Commission was criticized for its poor decision-making processes and culture that emphasized schedules over safety.

Recovery efforts went on for several months as the teams worked non-stop to remove debris and human remains from the ocean floor.

Ultimately, it was found that although a few members of the crew could have survived the first breakup, they were likely knocked unconscious when the cabins depressurized before hitting the ocean.