[NonValueAdded]

The o-ring failure allowed the hot gases to escape and act like a blowtorch against the external tank. The ensuing explosion plus aerodynamic forces led to the shuttle breakup.

One can argue endlessly about the criteria for "worst days" and never agree. Civil war battles were horrific and the loss of life certainly eclipses the Challenger incident. But they didn't play out on live TV to a national audience. Losses in war, no matter how horrific, are expected and have a context. The Challenger Incident qualifies as some sort of "worst" because of the absolute surprise, the shock value, the undercutting of an American triumph that led us to - wrongly - think that space flight was routine.

[library user]

Thanks. I understand now.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Losses in war, no matter how horrific, are expected and have a context. The Challenger Incident qualifies as some sort of "worst" because of the absolute surprise, the shock value, the undercutting of an American triumph that led us to - wrongly - think that space flight was routine."

I think another fact that you touch on peripherally is that from the inception of the space program, the rigors of astronaut selection and training imbued those folks with something of a superhuman air...they symbolized what was the best about America, and losing them was a personal reminder of our own mortality.