TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - After several delays, on January 28, 1986, the Challenger crew got the all clear. They were ready to blast off into space and history.
With training complete, the wait was over. The challenger crew was set to take off from Cape Canaveral.
The media lined up to capture and document the 10th launch for the Challenger Space Shuttle and the 25th American space shuttle mission.
The crew was enthusiastic about their mission to space. Onlookers cheered after liftoff. Seventy-three seconds later, cheers turned into tears.
Challenger broke apart, falling into the Atlantic Ocean.
Massive search efforts began immediately as crews tried to recover any pieces of Challenger.
It took NASA six months to release its report on what happened that fateful day. Changes to the program were implemented. The program returned to space in 1988.
After the wreckage was examined, the pieces were sealed and buried in a missile silo at Cape Canaveral.
