On this day, 39 years ago, on January 28, 1986 (December 19, 1985 in the lunar calendar), the US space shuttle Challenger exploded into space. Space shuttle Challenger explodes in the air On January 28, 1986, the US space shuttle Challenger suddenly exploded at an altitude of 15,000 meters 72 seconds after launch from the Kennedy Space Center, killing all seven crew members. The plane exploded into a red and white fire mist in an instant, and fragments of the plane's wreckage were scattered on the Atlantic Ocean 9 kilometers away from the launch center within an hour. On January 28, shortly after leaving the Cape Canaveral launch pad, the Challenger exploded in a fireball. This was the worst accident in U.S. aerospace history. Thousands of Florida viewers and millions of television viewers witnessed the heartbreaking disaster. Among the martyrs were Captain Francis R. Scobie, pilot Michael J. Smith, astronauts Judith A. Resnick, Ronald E. McNack, Ellison S. Onijuka, Gregory B. Jarvis and Krista McAuliffe. McAuliffe is a female middle school teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, expected to become the first ordinary citizen in the universe. Mrs. McAuliffe was selected from many candidates to complete the space mission, and today her students, along with millions of Americans, witnessed the tragedy on television. There is no clue as to the cause of the accident. NASA officials say all space flights should stop while the investigation is underway. The Challenger launch time was originally scheduled for January 25. Due to bad weather, it was postponed for three days. The lift-off time was scheduled for 9:38 a.m., but unusual low temperatures caused ice to form on the space shuttle's body and its ground support structures, so it was delayed for another two hours. At 11:08 a.m., the Challenger lifted off the ground and everything rose normally for 74 seconds. Then, as the Challenger was 10 miles above the ground and its main engine was about to be pushed to full speed, the space shuttle exploded in a fireball. The last words from the space shuttle were: "Understood, full speed ahead!" That's what Scobie told flight control. Two huge white clouds of smoke appeared during the explosion, and then debris rained down. At first, among the thousands of tourists, NASA officials, reporters and other audiences, including Christa McAuliffe's husband, two children and their parents, no one realized what was happening, but when the orange-red fire fell into the sky, the people cheering for the Challenger stopped in shock. Hours after the explosion, Space Shuttle Engineering Commander Jesse Moore attended a press conference and announced the appointment of an interim investigation team to review and protect flight data until a formal investigation committee was established. Moore also said that all computer disks, records and data will be properly kept for investigation. He denied that the three-day delay would put any pressure on NASA to launch the space shuttle before the president's State of the Union address to Congress in January each year, which is scheduled to be on the night of launch. "There is no pressure to launch this space shuttle." "The principle we have always adhered to is that flight safety comes first in aerospace engineering," Moore said. NASA officials are not fully convinced by speculation that the cold on Cape Canaveral may have been a factor in the shuttle's explosion. According to analysis, the tragedy may have been caused by a ruptured external fuel tank containing 385,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 140,000 gallons of liquid oxygen or a ruptured fuel pipe. Slow-motion video of the explosion taken through a telescope shows that small flames first appeared at the base of the outer fuel tank, then the two solid-fuel rockets broke apart, and then the flames swallowed the space shuttle. Coast Guard ships in the NASA fleet are still collecting debris that fell into the ocean within an hour of the explosion. The salvage work will take several weeks from the explosion site within 18 to 20 miles of the Florida coast, and the government is requiring residents to turn in all aircraft debris found floating on the Florida coast. No astronaut relics were found. This year is the busiest year in aerospace history, with 15 space programs expected to be implemented. However, the Challenger crash brought the U.S. aerospace engineering to a standstill because NASA had no preparatory launch system. On January 31, 1986, a solemn memorial ceremony was held at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to mourn the misfortune of the Challenger and its seven astronauts. President Reagan called them "our seven Challenger heroes" and vowed to honor them with the country's commitment to continue scientific exploration of the universe. Space shuttle Challenger launches U.S. space shuttle Challenger In 1982, Challenger became NASA's second space shuttle. The space shuttle (officially known as the Space Transportation System) consists of an orbital vehicle, a solid-fuel rocket propeller and an external combustion chamber. An orbiter is a winged space plane used to transport astronauts and equipment back and forth between space and the ground. Due to its tragic ending, the Challenger name may be more well-known around the world than any other space shuttle. The Challenger made nine flights, the first in April 1983 and the last in 1986. The Space Shuttle Challenger (STS is the abbreviation of Space Transportation System, which is the official name of the space shuttle in the United States) is the second space shuttle officially used under NASA. In the early stages of development, it was originally used as a high-fidelity Structural Test Article (hence the initial fuselage code name STA-099), but after Challenger completed its initial test mission, it was converted into an official Orbiter Vehicle (hence the code name changed to OV-099), and officially launched its first mission flight on April 4, 1983. Unfortunately, when the Challenger conducted its 10th space mission codenamed STS-51-L on January 28, 1986, an O-ring on the right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed, causing a series of chain reactions, and 73 seconds after liftoff, it exploded and disintegrated. Including the space shuttle and the seven astronauts on board, all died in the accident. During its first flight, the Challenger sent a tracking and data relay satellite into space. Two months later, the Challenger made another flight. Among the crew was Sally Ryder, the first American female astronaut to enter space. Among the crew of Challenger's third flight was Guy Bruford, the first African-American to go into space. During its various missions, Challenger put European space laboratories and several military and scientific satellites into orbit. All subsystems on the space shuttle Challenger are required to meet the standard of being able to withstand at least 100 flights without major repairs. The technology of Colombia has been improved to strengthen the fuselage and tail structure to withstand the severe test of repeated use. After the Challenger space shuttle crash, then-US President Ronald Reagan appointed an independent committee to investigate the accident. The investigation concluded that due to the failure of the joint between the lower sections of the solid rocket motor on the right side, the seal was burned out, gas leaked out from the solid motor and burned through the outer tank, and a large amount of liquid hydrogen flowed out, causing an explosion. The Challenger Space Shuttle NASA and NASA hope that the 25th space mission, launched on January 28, 1986, will spark new exploration of space and revitalize support for the initiative. With that in mind, Chris, a middle school teacher from New England, was selected nationwide as the first general citizen to board a plane. It is planned that after Chris completes her mission to board the Challenger, she will visit schools in the United States to emphasize the role of teachers in society and make Americans interested in pursuing careers in cutting-edge technology and aviation. But unfortunately, fate prevented her from completing the air trip. On January 28, 1986, 73 seconds after taking off, the Challenger suddenly exploded at an altitude of 14240 meters. Fragments of the Challenger rained down into the Atlantic Ocean, and rescuers found no signs of survival-they had been reduced to powder. Chris and the other six astronauts on the plane were killed. After the disaster, NASA launched a large-scale investigation, and President Reagan ordered the establishment of an independent commission. The investigation found that the accident occurred due to cracked joints in the propulsion rocket, and subsequent investigations concluded that the mistake could have been avoided. The emergence of the disaster made some astronauts angry at the life-saving launch plan and left the flight team. Many senior officials at the National Aviation Administration have also been investigated and transferred. The following year, NASA announced that civilians were not allowed to be absorbed into the ranks of astronauts. Dick Scobie serves as chief of the space shuttle Challenger. Astronaut Judith Resnick is the second woman in the United States to enter space. Gregory Jarvis is a strictly trained engineer who worked for Hughes Company during his lifetime Krista McAuliffe will always be proud of the U.S. space program. This is her at the Kennedy Space Center. Ron McNair became one of the first African-Americans to enter space during his previous flight. Ellison Onizuka has long become the first Japanese-American to enter space. Mike Smith will make his first space journey aboard the Challenger Space Shuttle Challenger (front row from left to right): Mike. Smith, Dick. Scobie, Ron. McNair; (Back row) Ellison. Onizuka, Krista. McAuliffe, Gregory. Jarvis, Judith. Resnick. Before boarding the plane, the astronauts bid farewell to the dead female middle school teacher McAuliffe. This is a file photo of female teacher McAuliffe walking into the cockpit of the Challenger with other astronauts. This is a file photo of the American Challenger astronaut and female teacher McAuliffe. This is a file photo of the Challenger astronaut and female teacher. The Challenger was launched. During its tenth mission on January 28, 1986, The Challenger suddenly exploded and crashed during liftoff during its tenth mission on January 28, 1986. The moment of the Challenger explosion suddenly exploded and crashed during liftoff This is a data photo of the moment of the Challenger explosion. This is a photo of the moment of the Challenger explosion taken by American photographer Arthur Pollock. The moment of the Challenger explosion, people watching the live TV broadcast of the Challenger liftoff and relatives of the crew members witnessed a tragedy in horror. This is the father and mother of the Challenger astronaut and female teacher McAuliffe at the time of the explosion. The younger brother and sister looked at the exploding Challenger and were horrified. This was the colleague of the American Challenger astronaut and female teacher McAuliffe. This was the student of the American Challenger astronaut and female teacher McAuliffe. They were unwilling to believe that the tragedy really happened. This was January 29, 1986, when the torch at the Olympic Memorial Stadium in Los Angeles, USA, lit up in flames. In memory of the seven people killed on the space shuttle Challenger This was January 31, 1986. A memorial service was held in Houston, the United States, to mourn the seven crew members who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. U.S. President Reagan, his wife Nancy and the families of the victims attended the memorial service. On March 21, 1987, the unveiling ceremony of the memorial to the astronauts killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger crash was held at Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. The monument has the heads of seven martyrs