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The Challenger Disaster: 20 Years Later

• Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger
• The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded seventy-three seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986.
• Christa McAuliffe was chosen to be the first teacher in space.
• Resnick was a classical pianist with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.
• A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Onizuka was a native of Kona, Hawaii.
• During his career, Scobee had logged 6,500 hours flying time in 45 types of aircraft, and was awarded the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.
• Originally from upstate New York, Jarvis played the classical guitar for relaxation.
• Ronald McNair was a fifth degree black belt Karate instructor and a performing jazz saxophonist.
• Smith, a North Carolina native, was a captain in the U.S. Navy and served in Vietnam as a pilot in an attack squadron aboard U.S.S. Kitty Hawk.

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• Space Shuttle Challenger STS 51-L mission patch
• Space Shuttle Challenger launch from Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center
• Sharon Christa McAuliffe
• Dr. Judith A. Resnick
• Ellison Onizuka
• Francis Scobee
• Gregory Jarvis
• Dr. Ronald E. McNair
• Commander Michael J. Smith