Tallahassee’s Challenger Learning Center will host several events in January to commemorate the crew of the Challenger Space Shuttle, 40 years after the tragic explosion that killed everyone on board.
On January 28, 1986, the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Investigators found the explosion was caused by an o-ring failure in a rocket booster which was aggravated by extreme cold weather before the launch.
The Challenger crew consisted of: Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialist Judith A. Resnik, Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Mission Specialist Ronald E. McNair, Teacher in Space S. Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis…