Thirty years after the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, which resulted in the deaths of astronauts Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe — a school teacher who was set to become the first "private citizen" to go to space — NASA will commemorate the tragedy, along with other catastrophes that have taken place since the initiation of the space program over five decades ago.
Others who will be memorialized at the event include the Apollo 1 crew (which consisted of members Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom and Edward H. White), all three of whom were killed in a cabin fire during a test launch in 1967, and the Columbia space shuttle, which disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana due to damage obtained during its mission, killing members Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut in space.
At 11 a.m. EST, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Deputy Administrator Dava Newman and other members of the agency will begin a wreathe-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Live coverage will begin at 10 a.m. EST.
The Challenger mission is one of the most well-known tragedies of its kind, most likely due to the media coverage surrounding the Teacher in Space program — from which McAuliffe was selected — both before and after the missions. Sparse coverage was given during the date of the actual launch on Jan. 28, 1986, with the exception of CNN, which broadcasted the event on the network. News sources also recorded the reactions of spectators watching the launch and subsequent disaster on-site — including McAuliffe's parents, which were also circulated at the time.
The explosion of the craft occurred due to a malfunction in the O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) after liftoff. What resulted was mounting pressure from the ignited gas within the rocket motor, which affected the left SRB and structural failure 73 seconds into the flight, which resulted in the explosion, eventually killing all seven crew members. Some were said to have survived the initial breakup of the spacecraft; the exact time of death of each astronaut still remains unknown.
The tragedy subsequently led to a hiatus in the space program, which lasted for almost three years.
For NASA's real-time livestream of the events, as well as a schedule and downlink info, you can click here. NASA has also provided a link to learn more about each respective tragedy, which features photos of the crew, text and video.
Watch the original CNN broadcast of the Challenger tragedy in the video clip below.
Source: NASA
