The day the space dream died

Thirty years ago, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven astronauts on board, and shocking a national space dream back into reality

The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lifting off from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986. All seven crew members died in the explosion, which was blamed on faul
(Image credit: The Associated Press)
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By 1986, Americans had grown used to the miraculous idea that men and women could soar into space. The NASA space program was a point of national pride, the rare government agency that provided good news and exhibited America's technological prowess.

But such blind confidence came to a tragic end on Jan. 28, 1986.

(Image credit: (NASA))

That day thousands of spectators, dressed for a cold morning, awaited the launch of Space Shuttle Challenger in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Across the country, students were being treated to a similar view thanks to NASA, which had arranged for the mission to be broadcast into hundreds of classrooms in honor of the program's first citizen astronaut, New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe.

(Image credit: (CORBIS))

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Bruce Weaver))

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Jim Cole))

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Bruce Weaver))

(Image credit: (Bettmann/CORBIS))

(Image credit: (Bettmann/CORBIS))

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Jim Cole))

(Image credit: (AP Photo))

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Ken Williams/Concord Monitor))

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Dennis Cook))

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin))

Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.

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