NASA Challenger Explosion Remembered 34 Years Later
January 28th, 2020 marks the 34th anniversary of the NASA space shuttle Challenger's explosion over Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing seven astronauts, hindering NASA's mission to explore space and breaking the hearts of millions who watched the explosion on live television.
High School teacher Christa McAuliffe was sent on the Challenger as a payloads specialist who would return to Earth and tell classes around the country about her mission's discoveries. NASA, barely recovering from the disaster, would cancel the project in 1990.
Many American kids in their 30s remember being scuttled into lunch rooms in 1986 to watch the live broadcast of the shuttle's take-off and would say it's one of their earliest major news memories.
Do you remember where you were when the Challenger tragically exploded?
Photo: Getty