January 28, 1986Reputable sourceWell documented
The Challenger disaster
On the timeline · around January 28, 1986 ·
What happened
Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew including teacher Christa McAuliffe; a failed O-ring seal was the cause.
Why it matters
It exposed how schedule pressure can silence engineering warnings — a case study in organizational failure ever since.
Sources
- NASA. STS-51L (mission page) · Reputable source