[library user]

Very chilling to watch to this day.

Can anyone put into layman’s words what happened? I tried reading the description on Wikipedia but don’t understand.

The craft itself didn’t blow up, but an o-ring somehow caused damage to the shuttle itself, thereby eventually causing it to disintegrate?

[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.

[patriotgal1787]

Freezing temps caused rubber-like o-rings to shrink and harden, preventing them from “seating”, thus allowing propellant gas to escape and burst through casing. Resulting in explosion. Best explanation I can give you quickly — anyone else want to try?

Andrea

[FL_Native]

The “O” rings were seals between sections of the solid rocket boosters. That morning it was like 28 degrees here, and the “O” rings froze, not allowing them to seal properly. The hot gasses from the solid rocket fuel escaped through a joint in the SRB causing the External Tank, which is filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to explode.

Tomorrow will be a “Day of Remembrance” for us here at Kennedy Space Center for the Apollo and Shuttle astronauts.