Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

Space exploration has always carried great risks, but few tragedies have been as devastating as the Challenger disaster. On January 28, 1986, the STS-51L mission took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying seven crew members who had trained for months for their journey into space.

Just 73 seconds after liftoff, the Challenger shuttle disintegrated, taking the lives of everyone on board. The last recorded words from the crew—spoken in the seconds before the explosion—have since become a chilling part of spaceflight history.


   media.giphy.com  

A mission filled with hope, cut tragically short

The Challenger crew was made up of Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik, and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis.

Also on board was Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire schoolteacher chosen from over 10,000 applicants to be part of NASA's Teacher in Space program. She had trained to teach lessons from space, inspiring students worldwide.

Despite concerns about the unusually cold temperatures at the launch site, NASA proceeded with the mission. No one knew at the time that hidden structural flaws would turn the mission into one of the darkest days in spaceflight history.

  Space Shuttle Challenger is carried by a Crawler-transporter on the way to its launch pad, prior to its final flight before being destroyed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.Photo by NASA | Wikimedia Commons 

‘Here we go’—The crew’s final moments

NASA later released transcripts from the Challenger’s communication system, revealing the crew’s last words before disaster struck.

The recorder captured their pre-launch conversation, which included both lighthearted banter and technical discussions. As the engines ignited, Pilot Michael J. Smith enthusiastically shouted:

"Here we go. Go! You Mother."

As the shuttle gained altitude, Smith noted the strong winds, saying:

"Looks like we’ve got a lotta wind here today."

Commander Francis R. Scobee replied:

"Yeah. It’s a little hard to see out my window here."

  Grey smoke near the aft attach strut on the right SRB.Photo by NASA | Wikimedia Commons 

The final transmission: ‘Uh oh’

As the Challenger soared past 35,000 feet, the crew continued checking airspeed and altitude. Then, Scobee radioed mission control with a routine call:

"Roger, go at throttle up."

Seconds later, disaster struck.

Smith, likely realizing something was terribly wrong, uttered the last recorded words from the Challenger crew:

"Uh oh."

Moments later, NASA lost all contact, and millions watching the live broadcast saw the shuttle explode in the sky.

  At 58.778 seconds into powered flight, a large flame plume is visible just above the SRB exhaust nozzle indicating a breach in the motor casing.Photo by NASA | Wikimedia Commons 

What went wrong? The preventable cause of disaster

The Challenger explosion was later determined to be caused by the failure of the O-ring seals in the solid rocket boosters.

Despite warnings from engineers that the freezing temperatures could cause O-ring failure, NASA managers proceeded with the launch. This decision ultimately cost seven lives.

  Photo by NASA | Wikimedia Commons 

Remembering the Challenger crew

The loss of Challenger remains one of NASA’s most painful moments, but the legacy of the crew members lives on.

McAuliffe’s mission to inspire students continues through educational programs in her honor, and NASA has taken significant steps to improve spaceflight safety in the years since.

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

 

More For You

A man and woman kissing in the kitchen

Welcome to the "Boy and Girl apartment" trend

Unsplash

Women living in beautiful apartments share their secrets to co-habitating with a boyfriend

Blending styles can be difficult. Naturally, when two or more people are brought together, their visions aren’t always going to mesh. Like getting a haircut then realizing, after they spin you around for the big reveal, that your barber actually didn’t “totally get” the inspiration photo you brought in. Or teaming up with some friends for a group project in school who you didn't realize were petrified of public speaking. Or, take One Direction for example. Five solo singers who at didn't get along at all at first, brought together only after Simon Cowell corralled them all into a boy band.


Keep ReadingShow less
airport, flying, airport travel
person standing with holding luggage bag

Psychologist reveals exactly why everyone acts weird at airports

Fewer places bring out weirder human behavior than airports. Sleeping on floors? Acceptable. Paying $8 for a bag of chips? Acceptable. And 9 a.m. beers? Totally acceptable. Time (and personal space) seems to suspend itself when you're traveling in them. And psychologist Steve Taylor, a Senior Psychology Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, explained exactly why everything and everyone feels so weird when you're in an airport with The Conversation.

Simply put: airports cause disorientation. "Due to the haziness of time and place, airports create a sense of disorientation," he explains. "We define ourselves in terms of time and place. We know who we are in relation to our daily routines and our familiar environments. We also define ourselves in terms of nationality. Without such markers, we may feel adrift."

Keep ReadingShow less
10-year-old violin prodigy stuns airport travelers with flawless Vivaldi duet
Representative photo by Canva

10-year-old violin prodigy stuns airport travelers with flawless Vivaldi duet

A beautiful blend of talent, courage, and classical music left Rome Airport travelers in awe when a 10-year-old violin prodigy, Yeonah Kim (@yeonah_kim_violin on Instagram), performed an impromptu duet with pianist Julien Cohen. The duo’s breathtaking rendition of Vivaldi’s “Summer” turned the airport’s Terminal 1 into an unexpected concert hall, captivating both onlookers and millions of viewers online.

  Representative photo by Sebastian Mark | Unsplash 

Keep ReadingShow less
man in blue long sleeve shirt carrying baby in white onesie

Dad hacks!

Dad discovers hilarious new hack for calling his daughter downstairs

As every parent knows, getting your child to do the thing you want them to do can be an impossible, Sisyphean task. How can I get my child to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’—and not just utter the words, but actually mean them? What could possibly entice them to help out more around the house? Is going to bed at a reasonable hour something kids actually do, or only an urban legend?

In a Reddit form on r/Parenting, @sabinesse1054 asked a question about the difference between productivity and pleasure.

Keep ReadingShow less
A mother scolds her child in a dim room.

Parents might be setting their children up for a lifetime of issues without ever realizing it.

Psychologist warns about 'eggshell parenting'—and why its effects last a lifetime

Children thrive in environments where they feel safe, secure, and loved. But when these feelings are unpredictable, it can create lasting emotional harm. Dr. Kim Sage, a licensed psychologist from Newport, California, has popularized the term "eggshell parenting" to describe this dynamic. Through her TikTok channel (@drkimsage), she has shared hundreds of videos explaining how eggshell parenting affects children and their future relationships.

What is eggshell parenting?

Eggshell parenting occurs when a child's emotional environment is dictated by a parent's unpredictable outbursts. Dr. Sage explains that this forces children to be constantly on high alert, suppressing their natural emotions and behaviors to avoid triggering a negative reaction. "Eggshell parenting and emotionally unpredictable, unsafe parenting often creates a lifetime of hypervigilance in us and a deep belief that there’s no such thing as real safety in relationships," she says.

Keep ReadingShow less