The two solid rocket boosters flew in different directions as the external fuel tank became a fireball.(AP: Bruce Weaver / File) Forty years ago, the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated just after ...

The catastrophic loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger on Jan. 28, 1986, stands as a haunting reminder of the immense risks and complexities involved in humanity's exploration of space. This event, ...

Forty years ago, Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its flight, killing its crew of seven and exposing the management culture and decision-making process that led NASA to launch on ...

HOUSTON (CNN) — NASA's Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off 40 years ago with an unusual crew. In addition to six astronauts, the mission took flight with a teacher on board. Christa McAuliffe, the ...

San Diego aerospace engineer Wesley Melvin Dreyer spent decades pushing the boundaries of aviation—from developing top-secret defense projects to helping uncover the cause of the Challenger disaster.

it is with deep, heartfelt sorrow. I address you here this afternoon at 11:40 a.m. This morning Space program experienced a national tragedy with the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.

The year 1986 was notable for two big disasters, both of them attributable to human error and bureaucratic negligence at competing super powers: the Chernobyl nuclear ...

It was so cold on the night of Jan. 27, 1986, that officials at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center feared the water pipes on the space shuttle launchpad would freeze. To protect the plumbing, they decided ...

Discover 25 tiny scientific mistakes that became massive disasters. Explore how small errors in space and engineering led to ...