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The True Minute By Minute Account Of Valor And Abandonment

Edward Bell

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Published in The Benghazi Betrayal: The True Minute By Minute Account Of Valor And Abandonment

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On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members. The disaster was a major setback for the American space program and led to a two-year suspension of shuttle flights.

The Benghazi Betrayal: The True, Minute-By-Minute Account of Valor and Abandonment

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In the aftermath of the tragedy, there was much debate about what caused the explosion and who was to blame. A presidential commission was appointed to investigate the accident, and its report concluded that the explosion was caused by a failure of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters.

The commission also found that NASA had ignored warnings about the dangers of the solid rocket boosters and had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the safety of the crew.

The Challenger disaster was a tragedy that could have been avoided. NASA's failure to listen to the warnings of its engineers and to take adequate safety precautions led to the deaths of seven brave astronauts.

The Crew

The Challenger crew was made up of seven astronauts:

Michael Smith, commander
Dick Scobee, pilot
Ronald McNair, mission specialist
Ellison Onizuka, mission specialist
Judy Resnik, mission specialist
Gregory Jarvis, payload specialist
Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist

Smith, Scobee, McNair, Onizuka, and Resnik were all experienced astronauts who had flown on previous shuttle missions. Jarvis was a payload specialist who was working on a project to study the effects of spaceflight on plants. McAuliffe was a teacher who had been selected to participate in the Teacher in Space Project.

The Launch

The Challenger launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:38 a.m. EST on January 28, 1986. The launch was witnessed by thousands of people, including President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy.

The Challenger ascended normally for the first 73 seconds of its flight. Then, at 11:41 a.m. EST, the shuttle exploded in a massive fireball. The explosion was caused by a failure of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters.

The Explosion

The failure of the solid rocket boosters caused the shuttle to break apart. The crew cabin separated from the rest of the shuttle and fell back to Earth. The crew cabin hit the ocean at a speed of about 200 miles per hour.

The impact of the crew cabin with the ocean killed all seven crew members instantly. The bodies of the crew members were never recovered.

The Investigation

In the aftermath of the Challenger disaster, President Reagan appointed a presidential commission to investigate the accident. The commission was chaired by William Rogers, a former Secretary of State.

The commission's investigation found that the explosion was caused by a failure of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters. The commission also found that NASA had ignored warnings about the dangers of the solid rocket boosters and had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the safety of the crew.

The Aftermath

The Challenger disaster was a major setback for the American space program. NASA suspended shuttle flights for two years while it investigated the accident and made changes to the shuttle design.

The Challenger disaster also led to a public outcry over the safety of the space shuttle program. Many people questioned whether the shuttle was safe enough to fly and whether NASA was putting the lives of its astronauts at unnecessary risk.

In the years since the Challenger disaster, NASA has made a number of changes to the shuttle design and to its safety procedures. The shuttle is now considered to be one of the safest spacecraft ever built.

The Challenger disaster taught NASA a valuable lesson about the importance of safety. NASA has since made a number of changes to the shuttle design and to its safety procedures. The shuttle is now considered to be one of the safest spacecraft ever built.

The Benghazi Betrayal: The True, Minute-By-Minute Account of Valor and Abandonment

4.2 out of 5