The NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded 40 years ago, on January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who would have been the first civilian in space. “The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives,” President Regan said in an address to the nation that night. “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them,

"It is the worst disaster in the history of the American space program." Forty years ago on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe from New Hampshire, who had won a national competition to become the first teacher in space. Peter Jennings anchored ABC's World News Tonight from Washington, with John Quiñones leading off the broadcast's coverage. | ABC World New

On January 28th, 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded and broke apart on take off. This week, Destruction Decoded explores the top 10 most dramatic space accidents, from Baikonur to Cape Canaveral. Watch Destruction Decoded on Wednesdays at 8pm, on National Geographic UK. | National Geographic UK

The Challenger space shuttle took off on Jan. 28, 1986. Seventy-three seconds later, the mission ended in an explosion and a disaster. But, even through the tragedy, the lives and legacy of the crew have endured, especially that of Christa McAuliffe, who even all these years later, is still changing lives. https://www.wmur.com/article/space-shuttle-challenger-disaster-anniversary-2026/70145107 #christamcauliffe #nh #newhampshire #nasa #spaceshuttlechallenger #spaceshuttle #challenger | WMUR-TV