How a cold morning, failed O-rings, and flawed decision-making led to tragedy Forty years ago, Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its flight, killing its crew of seven and exposing the management culture and decision-making process that led NASA to launch on a freezing January day.

The space shuttle Challenger explosion was a defining moment of the 1980s. Whether you were watching on TV or in person, chances are, you remember exactly where you were and how you felt.

NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded and broke apart Jan. 28, 1986, in the sky over East-Central Florida, killing the seven astronauts on board.

NASA's space shuttle Challenger completed 10 missions before it broke apart during a launch in 1986, killing seven astronauts.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, which occurred 73 seconds after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts. Investigators blamed cold ...

Anticipated summer launch is cutting it fine NASA has ended most science operations on its Swift observatory to keep the spacecraft in orbit a little longer.… The 21-year-old observatory's altitude has now dropped below 250 miles (400 kilometers) - it needs to sit above 185 miles (about 300 kilometers) to maximize the chances of an anticipated reboost mission.

To avoid Swift being dragged down low enough to hit Earth’s atmosphere, NASA tapped an Arizona-based startup to launch a rescue mission. Late last year, NASA awarded Katalyst Space Technologies $30 million to develop a spacecraft designed to boost Swift’s orbit.

Forty years on, the Challenger disaster remains a case study in what happens when organizations fail to allow for dissent and systematically challenge their assumptions.

Forty years ago, Americans were shocked when the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after it launched on a chilly day in Florida.