Challenger space shuttle explodes after liftoff
On this day in 1986, Seven crew—including Ellison S. Onizuka, the first Asian American astronaut to reach space on his second mission, and schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe—die when the Challenger space shuttle explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida. A single faulty ‘O-ring’ will be identified as the cause of the explosion.
Featured image from: PD-USGov-NASA images