![]() The crew compartment ascended to an altitude of 12.3 miles (19.8 km) before free-falling into the Atlantic Ocean. The agency’s plans called for up to 15 missions, including the first flight from the West Coast launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 1986) and caused a major shift in the space exploration world that can still be seen to this day. The year 1986 was shaping up to be the most ambitious one yet for NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. The two solid-rocket boosters continued flying until the NASA range safety officer destroyed them by remote control. Even though the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster happened nearly forty years ago, it still affects the spacecraft and engineering world today. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. ![]() We remember the seven astronauts who lost their lives that day. This is an extremely well done telling of the investigation surrounding the explosion of the space shuttle. On January 28, 1986, the tenth mission of the space shuttle Challenger ended in tragic disaster. Hot gases bathed the hull of the cold external tank full of liquid oxygen and hydrogen until the tank ruptured.Īt 73 seconds after liftoff, at an altitude of 9 miles (14.5 kilo- meters), the shuttle was torn apart by aerodynamic forces. space shuttle Challengers 1986 disintegration. ![]() Space Travel: Danger at Every Phase (Infographic)Īs the shuttle ascended, one of the seals on a booster rocket opened enough to allow a plume of exhaust to leak out. On the morning of the launch, the cold rubber became stiff, failing to fully seal the joint. A look at CNNs live broadcast of the Challenger shuttle launch on January 28, 1986. The O-rings were never tested in extreme cold. On the 25th anniversary of the disaster, science reporter Paul. Field joints containing rubber O-ring seals were installed between each fuel segment. On 28 January 1986, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch, claiming the lives of seven astronauts. The order directed the Rogers Commission to make its final report to the President and the. To make each solid-rocket booster, the Morton Thiokol factory built four hull segments filled with powdered aluminum (fuel) and ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer).Īt the launch site, the fuel segments were assembled vertically. Space Shuttle Challenger Accident on February 3, 1986. Morton Thiokol, the builder of the solid-rocket boosters, advised NASA that they believed the O-ring seals in the solid-rocket boosters would perform adequately in the cold.
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