MYSTERY WIRE (AP) — NASA’s space shuttle Challenger launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida on its 10th mission on Jan. 28, 1986 only to explode 73 seconds later.
The explosion claimed the lives of all seven people onboard: Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka and Christa McAuliffe.
McAuliffe was due to be the first teacher in space. The New Hampshire woman had been selected to join the mission and teach lessons from space to children around the country.
An investigation found that the two rubber O-rings, which were designed to separate sections of the rocket booster, failed due to weather. The shuttle launched on a cold Florida morning.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – JANUARY 28: (JAPAN OUT) (VIDEO CAPTURE) (FILE PHOTO) The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes minutes after takeoff from Kennedy Space Flight Center January 28, 1986 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. All seven aboard were killed including Christa McAuliffe who had won a nationwide competition to be the first teacher in space. (Photo by CNN via Getty Images) 
Smoke billows in the sky above the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The Solid Rocket Booster flies away from the explosion. The explosion claimed the lives of all seven crew members. January 28, 1986. | Location: above the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) 
A trail of smoke leads up into the sky and then ends where the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986. All seven astronauts aboard were killed in the accident. Cape Canaveral, Florida. | Location: Cape Canveral, Florida, USA.
