The accident could have been prevented
The cold war was a time of true intrepid space exploration, with the world’s two largest superpowers going head to head to push the boundaries of what was possible.
Both the USA and the Soviet Union were racing to dominate space, mostly to garner research into ways they could get tactical and military advantages over each other, through the use of satellites and potential space weaponry.
Of course the greatest benefactors of this rivalry was scientific research and NASA programmes.
One of the most successful programmes was the Space Shuttle missions that saw 135 launches over a 30 year period that helped construct the International Space Station (ISS), launch satellites and sent more people than ever into space.
However, space travel is a dangerous endeavour and sadly not everyone comes home.
Astronaut crew’s tragic final words before fatal accident 73 seconds into flight
On 28 January 1986, one of the worst disasters to ever happen in space exploration history was broadcast live to the world in a tragic series of events that saw the Challenger space shuttle explode only 73 seconds after launching.
The shuttle that launched from the Kennedy Space Center was carrying seven astronauts, Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis and schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe who all died during the explosion.
Christa was meant to give lessons from orbit as well as become the first teacher in space.
The final words of the crew were recorded by the operational recorder which NASA later shared.
Only minutes before launch the crew could be heard laughing and completing routine checks. One person could be heard saying: “Go you mother.”
As they went higher and higher another person said: “Feel that mother go.”
However, seconds later tragedy struck.
It appears the crew only seemed to realise they were doomed at the last second, as one person could be heard saying ‘uh oh’.
The NASA mission was meant to send two satellites into space, one of which was intended to monitor Halley’s Comet as it approached closer to the sun.
Millions of people around the world witnessed the disaster as the rocket exploded into a fireball 46,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.
The tragic accident was ultimately caused by two rubber O-rings that were used to seal the joints of the rocket’s right side solid rocket fuel booster that had been stiffened by the record low January temperatures, allowing hot pressurized gas to escape and burn through connecting struts.
This ultimately compromised structural integrity which saw the solid fuel tanks smash into the liquid fuel tank causing a fireball explosion that disintegrated the spacecraft.
The sudden death of all seven astronauts seen worldwide puts into perspective the contrast heard on the recorder just before the astronauts launched.
The loss of the astronauts shocked the world and brought plenty of condemnation to NASA who were accused of skipping safety measures and pushing ahead with the launch despite the unfavourable conditions.
Some people at the space agency had even warned others before the launch, with NASA contractor, Morton Thiokol raising the alarm long before the Challenger launched.
One mechanic who worked on the Challenger, Roger Boisjoly, informed the company’s vice president six months before the launch of the issues so that they were “fully aware of the seriousness of the current O-ring erosion problem”.
He explained that the O-ring issue, if not fixed, “would be a catastrophe of the highest order – the loss of human life”.
Even on the day of the launch, Morton Thiokol management and NASA officials talked about the O-ring issue while Boisjoly once again spoke out about the issue.
Concerns were ignored and disaster ensued, leading to lawsuit that would find Morton Thiokol responsible for the faulty O-ring.
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