Challenger disaster, launch pad preparations. Footage of the external tank vent hood cap being removed during preparations for the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L. The launch took place at 11:38 local time (16:38 UTC) from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA, on 28 January 1986. The cold conditions on the launch day contributed to the failure of an already defective design element (the O-ring seal in one of the solid rocket boosters). The resulting catastrophic failure led to the shuttle disintegrating just over a minute after launch, killing all seven on board. The members of the crew were US astronauts Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, US engineer Gregory Jarvis, and US high school teacher Christa McAuliffe. The launch had originally been scheduled for 22 January, but was postponed several times. |