Space Shuttle Challenger Accident Investigation (1986)

NASA documentary detailing the events surrounding the loss of OV-099, Space Shuttle Challenger, shortly after the launch of the 25th flight of the Space Transportation System, Mission STS-51L, on 28 January, 1986, and the subsequent investigation into the loss of the vehicle and its crew of seven. The investigation shows that the Solid Rocket Booster field joints were of an insufficiently fault-tolerant design and when the vehicle was launched at below-normal temperatures, hot exhaust gasses leaked on ignition, damaging the integrity of the field joint, leading to a breach in the external tank and destruction of the orbiter.
Video courtesy: NASA
Click to subscribe! bit.ly/subAIRBOYD
#AIRBOYD #AvGeek

[@Panda5ace]

I love how the failure was blamed on “Unacceptably faulty design” and not “we didn’t listen to Morton-Thiacol engineers when they told us 53 degrees was the lowest temp to launch at”

[@paulsayman3069]

and also, they blamed the engineers of Morton Thiokol and NASA for the incident, and probably half of them got fired

[@johnfitzgerald1192]

Even i can see he angled the rocket wrong at the beginning of the launch. Their altitude was off and should've been angled more vertically to avoid a backdraft of the rocket boosters.

[@Panda5ace]

John Fitzgerald What? Please elaborate, I honestly have no idea where you got this idea from.

[@neptunez3495]

nasa be like: oh there's a problem that puts the crew at risk of literally dying and ruining nasa's reputation? yeah that's totally fine, we're go for launch!

[@ClearVod]

Eli Zogby not how that works

[@strong-islandny7799]

As a 10 year old boy in elementary school, they brought us all into the cafeteria to watch this ( what we all thought was gonna be) an exciting moment in history that most of us at that age at the time never had seen before. I remember this day like it was yesterday all these years later. It's something that'll always be seared into my memory. Such a tragic event. God bless all that were on that shuttle that day.

[@annetteslife]

I was 13 years old and had watched this in my classroom

[@dr.feelgood.1330]

I was 15 yrs old in Ireland and watched this on the news but it didn’t hit me like it hit yourselves to me you’d be safer on that shuttle than a DC9 or 10 they were crashing every other day.

[@brettmitchell8014]

I was 7

[@adamarmstrong6646]

So sad watching them unknowingly walking towards their death... god bless them

[@josiasandrade9252]

Nossa há quatro anos atrás faz tempo vu

[@bluumish]

they all still alive...research

[@PlexyNeck]

baronito bujans research deeeeeeez nuts 🥜

[@lickmypickle922]

baronito bujans They're dead. You can't survive a fall from that height

[@youtubefalcon9550]

@@bluumish their still alive in my heart

[@ruimanuelredondo6324]

The first time that a contractor went against launch but pressure was enormous and the result is still in our minds and will remain

[@naftaljohn4030]

This must have been a nightmare for the family members who were present. May they rest in eternal peace...

[@annetteslife]

Christa's mom even had a bad feeling and had warned Christa and had tried her best to not let her go

[@pamalford8319]

Christa's sister was seen collapsing in the arms of who I presume was her brother. From what I have read, Steve, her husband went into seclusion following the disaster and has never spoken publicly about it to this day. I can't begin to imagine the utter devastation that man experienced. He was so proud of her.

[@neepster33]

You are 100% correct. That's what happens when you let project managers drive everyone to a schedule regardless of the likely results.

[@aleeah3532]

And yet nothing’s really changed, in whatever sector of thee economy you look at. People without the necessary backgrounds are placed to be responsible for groups of people and making decisions. The desire for growth and human greed never fail to destroy lives.

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

Exactly right. Cost and schedule was to blame that day.

[@mshell1959]

Don't listen to the engineers? What could go wrong NASA; Boeing?

[@lmfao7558]

Thiokol told them, but they wouldn’t listen. Speed of launch regardless of life loss.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

The engineers warned them not to launch in below freezing weather. NASA ignored the engineers.

[@silvereagle2061]

This must have been so hard on the close out crew who saw them last.

[@paulshannon9578]

Yes...they were their friends...seeing them every day and then in one second...........gone.!

[@danbruno5945]

Yes and some had their parents watching in the crowd

[@brunoottina293]

@@danbruno5945 Yes, Christie's parents. I was sad to watch them while this explosion. It's awful for a mom and a dad to live this situation.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

@@danbruno5945 They should never have shown the families grief after the disaster. The didn't show the families during the Columbia disaster.

[@TheJcrist]

R. I. P. team Challenger. Human life is so fragile, so sad to see them smiling marching towards imminent end.

[@lonestarlatina1955]

I remember seeing this in the second grade. Every classroom in our school was watching it live. We all feel silent when it exploded and stared at the TV and each other. We all started to cry once we heard our teacher gasp and start to cry. 😥

[@pamalford8319]

My son was also in the second grade when he and his classmates witnessed the disaster. That night he asked me "Are they all dead?" I did not know what else to say to him except they had gone to Heaven.

[@trvsconway]

Still hard for me to watch this just to know what's going to happen

[@bluumish]

they all still alive...research

[@bonnieskelton968]

@@bluumish there not alive have u lived in the 80's or 70's they died because the space shuttle blew up

[@bluumish]

@@bonnieskelton968 they all are alive ...some of them using their real names

[@michaelmagic988]

i think its funny because it happened so long ago

[@geminitheavali5018]

Same here... Just knowing that they didn't knew what was going to happen and seeing them enter the Shuttle, it's really hard to watch... (Even knowing that it could have been prevented very easily) Rest in peace to all of them. Hopefully they are all in a better place now.

[@I_am_a_cat_]

Man.... seeing them all happy and smiling in the white room, heading straight towards death without even knowing it because nasa's higher ups didn't want another delay.. so sad. We can only hope that their deaths were quick and painless. Whoever was awake in the cabin trying to use the emergency devices, bless their souls..how terrifying.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

They probably lost conciousness after the explosion. They were killed when the cabin hit the water. Falling from that height it was like hitting a concrete wall.

[@DavidBozek92109]

104% Explained: The throttle setting (actually the output power of the engines) of "100%" is a spec which is fixed early in the design & build process. This make things much easier over time. For example, as later models of the orbiter are made or upgraded then all of the calculations do not have to be re-baselined based on the output power of each different orbiter. The 100% throttle setting always means the same thrust, but a new orbiter or engine may be able to do 104%, 110%, etc.

[@zzyzxyz5419]

Nice explanation

[@Bob31415]

Thank you. Always wondered about that.

[@kennethwilkinson2095]

Thanks for that, I now know less than before I read you comment.

[@budgiebreder]

The saddest part is watching the start as these doomed astronauts walk calmly to their deaths. Horrible considering it could easily have been prevented by following the design limits of their craft as specified and waiting a few hours for it to warm up!

[@ackmino]

One of the crew members left their gloves in the astro van.

[@YetiOnCocaine]

This is the best Challenger video I have ever seen. It has the most in depth information by far for example this is the first video that actually points out the crew cabin after the explosion as it fly's through the air. Thanks so much for sharing this.

[@MommaWolf1967]

This could have been prevented

[@ryanvandoren1519]

*SHOULD have been prevented

[@IwshIcldstrtover]

@@tendiefundies4355 Learn self control, and manners. That was uncalled for.

[@crystalwings4520]

The engineers had warned them about the right SRB problem, but they never listen or they neglected it.

[@AlonsoRules]

they knew about the flaws of the o rings, but they had to get the teacher up to keep funding from congress

[@dave23024]

That's true. I saw another doc about this, and every person said they wanted it to be rescheduled, but they were pressured into launching. Interestingly, nobody seems to be the one applying the pressure.

[@deborahhead1180]

the cold weather definitely had a major factor in the challenger disater. Monday night before Tuesday morning launch pad was full of ice. the temp at launch was 36 degrees. NASA knew damn well they couldn't launch in cold weather. the weather has to be 54 degrees or above.

[@jrockett73]

The pad was full of ice like it was other cold days and winters. Pipes are left to drip to prevent bursting. The ice on the pad never affected the orbiter.

[@pommiebears]

jrockett73 its a bloody good indicator of how cold it was though, and if it is of no consequence, why is it noted that the pipes around the launch pad were engulfed in ice? And no, the cold temperatures had no bearing on the orbiter......It has a HUGE bearing on the rubber O rings that are used in the expansion joints of the boosters! And it was this that caused the catastrophic failure of before mentioned O rings! It should have blown up on the launch pad....but the expansion gap, that should have been sealed by the O rings was filled with slag from the aluminium added to the fuel....when a burst of wind..seen in the dogleg of the smoke after the explosion, hit the orbiter, it dislodged this slag thus causing the fuel to pour out, ignite, and blow up the main tank!

[@stephenp448]

I read a good book about the investigation and in particular the decision to launch. My takeaway from that was something like this: when push came to shove, the engineers had only tested the O-rings to a low of 54°F, and had no data to prove what would happen below that temperature. They SUSPECTED the O-rings wouldn't hold below the forecast temps, but NASA wanted hard data. Thiokol managers recommended launch in the end because nobody could prove to NASA that there was a solid reason why they shouldn't go.

[@jefftheriault7260]

@@pommiebears The boosters are solid fuel not liquid. No fuel ever poured out. The fatal problem was first exhaust gases and then combusting fuel exiting the joint of the booster. Even then, had the plume of rocket exhaust been directed outward they would have made orbit.

[@bluumish]

they all still alive...research

[@Amy.Scorpio]

Such educated people passed suddenly..definitely a loss. RIP

[@Flat_Earth_101]

You haven't seen the videos showing them to be alive? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoWth5uahdl4oac Look into Project Isinglass. The *Space Shuttle" was probably just cover for Spy missions. And explains why only 1 of the crew members hasn't been found, and he was the pilot.

[@Reesy2002]

The worst part of this is they did not die in the explosion. This means they didn't die quickly. Imagine the wait knowing your going to die. I can't imagine the terror that was felt. It was close to a 3 minute fall to the water. I'm sure it felt like forever!

[@JCStorm76]

That’s exactly what happened which only makes it even more horrifying. Of course this was all covered up at the time

[@davidallen1782]

Watched the launch on TV in my Astronomy class my Senior year in HS. Not a dry eye in that class when we watched that horror unfold.

[@dmolina4021]

I was a junior in high school in accounting when we watched it on tv.

[@shellyshell3919]

I was in elementary school...8 years old watching in class. Tragic.

[@cedricduchesne866]

😢

[@donnamyers7274]

I was 31 and dreamed it was going to happen. I prayed so hard. Stayed out of work to watch it and cried for days after!

[@rthelionheart]

May each and everyone of them rest in peace😔

[@kevinkarg4464]

@@francissullivan6400 So you're gonna wear that on your sleeve? They were all equals. They were all astronauts. They were all American heroes. Everyone who proclaims to be a real American should be proud of them!

[@mwenyadaka3367]

True my there so rest in peace

[@extra_thiccsaltyman5571]

E

[@paulshannon9578]

I was 19 when I saw it live on t.v. and at that moment... I knew what life and death was.

[@andie_stl]

I remember that day clearly. An 8 year old at a Catholic school in Kansas City, MO. Our teacher told us what happened . I was heartbroken. Such a senseless tragedy.

[@jijzer4581]

this is how documentarie should be to the point no emotions no excaturations just to the point

[@nutsackmania]

oh cats

[@kardaya]

J IJzer unfortunately it’s filled with half truths and misdirection. Several more accurate documentaries have been made. Also a book by one of the main engineers and designers involved with the program who warned NASA there was a problem that would lead to a catastrophe wrote an extensive book about the disaster called Truth, Lies and O-rings.

[@RWBHere]

It's also a really annoying computer synthesised voice, which means that many people will have skipped through the video, or simply have muted the audio, thus missing out many of the inaccurate comments.

[@buttholeChecker]

RWBHere Its a real persons voice. His name is Peter linstrad.....

[@odustbrown1836]

Spelling and grammar are critical components of credibility. I'm talking about your credibility, J IJzer.

[@dazuk1969]

"Go for throttle up"....the saddest words ever said in Space flight history...

[@gnbilios]

could they have fixed it?

[@dazuk1969]

@@gnbilios They should not have launched that day. It was 15 degrees colder than they had ever launched before. Did you see all that ice on the launch pad ?...which as we know, affected the O rings on the SBRs...

[@Docstantinople]

Are you sure it’s that sad? They said it a 134 different times and it was fine on launch.

[@dazuk1969]

@@Docstantinople The space shuttle launched 135 times Doc......this was the only time "go for throttle up" resulted in the death of 7 people.....so in answer to your question, yes it really is that sad.

[@Docstantinople]

Darren AM yes I know it flew 135 times. I subtracted the one time during launch where it wasn’t successful and challenger blew up on launch. Actually I will go ahead and subtract Columbia too since the foam broke off and punched a hole in the wing therefore not making it a successful launch which ultimately led to the break up on re-entry. So in conclusion there were a 133 times where “go for throttle up” was good and 2 times where it was sad.

[@Adrift247]

Definitely proof of what can happen when managers ignore what engineers tell them and base their decisions on meeting time lines and budgets. It could have all been avoided. As Richard Feynman said in his report, the decision to launch was based on the fact that previous launches in cold weather had been successful(although 15 degrees warmer). He equated this thinking its ok to continue playing Russian Roulette, because the gun hadn't fired yet.

[@huhn1964]

I can't believe it's been almost 40 years ago.

[@JSmith-Not-Smythe-Dear]

This disaster was a complete horror...Challenger did not explode like 99%+ of people believe. The entire assembly broke apart due to the aerodynamic forces imposed on the structure. What does this mean? Most, if not all of the crew members fell for over 2 minutes knowing they were about to die in a terrible way - hitting the ocean at hundreds of miles per hour and they didn’t know exactly when it was going to happen...for me, that is true horror.

[@lmfao7558]

After I discovered that info in a doc, I started hunting around for more info about the remains of the astronauts. The slam into the ocean caused total destruction of the bodies. You forget that slamming into water is like hitting concrete.

[@dcjlove]

The crew died of blunt force trauma: crew cabin hitting the ocean at about 206 mph. They were not burned or severely injured by the break up because (as noted in the video) aerodynamic breakup was the cause, not explosive breakup. The official report says that the crew was likely conscious for at least a few seconds, but "probably" lost consciousness due to loss of cabin pressure. No one will ever know. RIP Challenger.

[@martytdd1606]

Story Musgrave said that they were most likely conscious by the time they hit the water.

[@lmfao7558]

3 of the switches were turned on - Resnik turned hers and the person in front of her(Captain) and onizuka’s was turned on. They were conscious and could see what was coming.

[@darthfurious80]

Very intriguing. Thanks for posting this. The one part which showed the flame slowly creeping out of the SRB and into the tank was, well..scary. First time I'd ever seen this clip.

[@tekuniversity]

Yes, they recovered the bodies. There was evidence they died on impact of hitting the water and not during the explosion.

[@alexandreluizalves]

Pieces

[@ruutis6510]

@@alexandreluizalves yes some of them were regonisable

[@amonronin8759]

Nothing like watching this on the tv in your 2nd grade class room.

[@jamessullivan1348]

I was in 2nd grade as well and our principal had our whole elementary school go into the gymnasium and showed the school what happened

[@lanceadcock6300]

Unless you were in the 3rd grade. 😋

[@andie_stl]

We were in 3rd grade... 😥

[@amonronin8759]

I remember it like yesterday....you know the tv and vcr they had on a rolling cart that never really worked?.....we were horrified..the teachers were all crying and shit and for us it seemed like the whole world was coming to an end and all of us were screaming for mommy and daddy.......hell i still do it with this stupid covid shit goin around...smh

[@zero1fifty8]

I was in 5th grade

[@tata011670]

This launch should NEVER have been allowed to happen! NASA knew this was a MAJOR possibility!

[@SymphonyBrahms]

They were warned not to launch by the engineers. But NASA ignored them.

[@georgetheofanous6792]

Watching the explosion at the beginning of this brings back waves of emotions. I remember attending high school along the Space Coast, and our teacher allowed us to step outside to watch the launch. The quiet that fell over the campus was palpable. After having watched so many launches, you knew what it was supposed to look like. When the explosion occurred, it was positively devastating. The rest of the day in classes was a total wash. Nothing was accomplished. Incredibly sad.

[@jackycook64]

I remember watching in my class. I was in 6th grade. The entire school went so silent you could have heard a pin drop. Then a lot of tears from everyone as the reality of what happened set in.

[@Capri_00]

@@jaydouglas8845 we know but because it looked like one that’s what people called it. Truth be told many things look different in hindsight.

[@Bomyster3000]

It was said that the crew was killed not by the explosion but when they impacted the water.

[@SinisterMud]

It’s likely that the Challenger’s crew survived the initial breakup of the shuttle but lost consciousness due to loss of cabin pressure and probably died due to oxygen deficiency pretty quickly.

[@pattidale7968]

Dark Light you seem sure of your response regarding the condition of the astronaut’s bodies. How do you know this type of information?

[@sweetjrewing5435]

Dark Light ,,,,Thanks for the visual 👌

[@valeriataylor8337]

Just like most of plane crashes. People only lose consciousness. It was like a plane cash but with a huge fuel tank disfunction

[@paulsayman3069]

@@SinisterMud they said that the cabin remained intact and pressurized, so maybe the astronauts got knocked out clean

[@zzddytt]

"obivously a major malfunction..." What's gotta be the understatement of the century.

[@theshit2496]

Zzddytt He didn’t have camera view he didn’t know it had exploded. He was going on reading data

[@due_2477]

To a non familiar with the shuttle launches eye I guarantee you it could seem a normal thing

[@AlexLopez-rx8lw]

It's just how NASA is. Air heads.

[@sheilapilson4456]

Houston command center didnt have eyes on it like Florida did. I bet they have now though.

[@rkgsd]

...and a preventable malfunction.

[@joeker4573]

No, he didn't. Even if any of them were still conscious after the orbiter broke up, which may not been the case, none of the astronauts had any sort of control. You can't attempt to glide anything if all you have left is your tumbling cabin. They were doomed the moment NASA ignored their engineers and gave the go-ahead for launch.

[@charlessnider883]

Three of the crews PEAP air packs were activated and there is no way this could accidentally happen. Smith, Onizuka and Resnik are all on. Scobee's was not activated. The other three PEAPs were not recovered. The amount of air used on PEAP matched the time it took to fall from 40k feet to ocean. The impact of the ocean was fatal at 200mph or 200gs

[@darthkurland]

“The cast and crew of Star Trek wish to dedicate this film to the men and women of the spaceship Challenger whose courageous spirit shall live to the 23rd century and beyond..." This dedication accompanied the release of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

[@kbanghart]

Yep I loved that.

[@seedplanter7173]

Relax...it was a hoax..They are alive and well.

[@Icemanin1994]

SeedPlanter You’ve been fooled by fools

[@seedplanter7173]

@@Icemanin1994 I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you ..kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHO4hHywlrhjrdU

[@francissullivan6400]

What r u taking about?? Idiot

[@cristianm7097]

Bureaucracy killed them.

[@michaelkarnerfors9545]

Actually... Lee Harvey Oswald killed them. And before you go "Wait, _what_ ?!", here is the chain of events... Kennedy wanted to cancel Apollo, because it was getting expensive, make a joint US-Soviet mission to the Moon. Oswald (unaware of this of course) killed Kennedy 2 months later. LBJ -- as a way of grief-coping the nation through these hard times -- asked that Apollo continue, to "honour Kennedy's legacy" and fulfilling Kennedy's promise of a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Congress agreed. So NASA got _lots_ of funding, and this kept the Space Euphoria of the 1960's fuelled and going, culminating with Apollo landing on the Moon. In the mean time, plans have been drawn up for a space station, and a space shuttle for that station, and tons of other space projects, all a result of the Great Space Euphoria that was raging. And then came the Big Space _Ennui_ of the 1970s. After that "one small step for man", everyone want "okay, that was fun, now what? Meh...bored now". Congress looked at the bill for Apollo and went "Oh my...". So in the early 1970s, with social reform at home and a war in south east Asia raging, Congress cut down on space funding. Space projects started being cancelled for lack of money. One of the axed projects was the space station. But _not_ the space shuttle, NASA kept that one alive by going to DoD and asked them if they want to join that project and fund it. "Okay", said DoD, "but you need to build it to our specs then, and we want to lift some pretty big things to space". NASA agreed, and up-speced the space shuttle, making it bigger and heavier and -- most important -- more _expensive_ . Come the late 1970s, and DoD did an about-face and went for unmanned rockets instead of buying a share of the Space Shuttle. NASA was suddenly stuck with a very big, very heavy vehicle, and no paying clients. Congress was still holding on tight to its money and said "We are not sure we want to pay for that huge thing". NASA went into a panic, and tried to get as many flights in as possible, to show that the Shuttle was worth the money. And this drive -- to get as many flights in as possible -- is what made them nag down Thiokol and start, despite it being too cold. Without Oswald killing Kennedy, Apollo might have gotten cancelled, and with that the space euphoria might have simmered down a bit, and with that the insane spending would have quieted down, and with that more realistic space projects might have been planned, and with that, there might not have been a big heavy space shuttle at all. Maybe, just maybe, Lee Harvey Oswald killed 7 astronauts, January 28, 1986.

[@proud90skid15]

Michael Karnerfors so basically the Big Bang killed the astronauts

[@mhdfozy8437]

@Joe Jack بعد تزه

[@michaelkarnerfors9545]

@@proud90skid15 "...which was in turn because… and so on back to the initial and highly controversial creation of the universe".

[@8-bitsteve500]

@@michaelkarnerfors9545 one slight issue. Oswald didn't kill Kennedy, he was the scapegoat.

[@grazydine2]

Roger Boisjoly is an American hero, his compassion for people's lives, his ethics, his knowledge and professionalism. He deserves the nation's highest honor for his efforts. To prevent this from happening.

[@Eusouamoreusouluz]

They handled the teacher an Apple...everyone passes by teachers in life to become someone, be it a cook or an astronaut, be in Peace all of them.

[@mulliganstew72]

♥️May I please steal your quote? For my mother, she’s a teacher.

[@Eusouamoreusouluz]

@@mulliganstew72 sure!

[@Bob31415]

This is why the Soviets never televised their launches in real time.

[@piroDYMSUS]

Jon Brahms None of Soviets fatal incidents happened during the launch, so they are not got caught on tape anyway

[@SymphonyBrahms]

@@piroDYMSUS They covered them up anyway.

[@OneLoveRSR]

"The Solid Rocket Boosters continued in flight... and were destroyed by the Range Safety Officer 110 seconds after launch." It took this moment, 35 years later, for me to learn that's what happened. I was always curious.

[@drmalex87]

so basically the crew pit cabin was still tact after the explosion and they just fell to their death?

[@sumanprasad9760]

hey there ,it's 2020 ...9 years

[@f3d0r1]

coroonaaaa!

[@extra_thiccsaltyman5571]

Fuck yeah

[@bhavnindersingh6973]

Xd

[@bigeasy2163]

Greetings from the future

[@wires99]

Informative video, thanks for posting. I can only imagine the anguish of so many bright people studying this incident so thoroughly. It really was picked apart one millisecond at a time. I remember the day - I uncharacteristically went home from work to grab lunch, and I heard it on the radio as soon as I got in my car. Later, I saw the TV footage. Sad day.

[@jonkillings2747]

I remember the news at the time was saying , and this was days after , that NASA was still picking up body parts from the water , so now we are told they survived the explosion.

[@jonkillings2747]

Hamsandwichindahouse No I'm not , and i can still remember seeing the boats on the water and my mum feeling sick thinking about it. I'm 43 yrs old i do remember the eighties.

[@Faven2011]

Jon Killings that is what the news said back then. They did find the bodies two weeks later inside the cabin.

[@lmfao7558]

The body parts were from slamming into the water at 200+ mph. The report said the destruction to the bodies was catastrophic.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

The cabin survived the explosion and hit the water at 200 miles per hour. It was like hitting a concrete wall. That's what killed the astronauts.

[@offgabriel]

Who is here because the documentary of Netflix?

[@jrawlins5246]

I haven't seen it yet, but want to! Just one of the astronauts dies, right?

[@flavf2494]

J Rawlins no, they all did.

[@remopkr198]

Please name the Netflix documentary

[@flavf2494]

rafique pathan Challenger: the final flight.

[@remopkr198]

@@flavf2494 thanks

[@charliewolf1163]

Airboyd, thank you for sharing this video. I gave your work a thumbs up but the circumstances were horrific! I watched this live in 86 at a cafeteria at West Middle school in Greenwood, Co. My teacher Mrs. Collins was best friends with Christa McCollough. I remember the students cheering the explosions out of ignorance. Mrs. Collins was devastated and I silently thought “dear God they all gone!” I haven’t thought of this in over 34 years. I had no idea it was so cold. That ice buildup was something I never knew in all these years. May they continue to rest in peace.

[@pamalford8319]

I lived in SW GA at the time and as cold as it was at the Cape, it was even colder where I lived, in the teens.

[@clairefrier2353]

What annoys me, is that there are people who think that these 7 people are still alive. You can clearly see them climbing into the orbiter.

[@Flat_Earth_101]

You don't think they could have exit right after the camera crews left? You haven't seen the videos showing them to be alive? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoWth5uahdl4oac Look into Project Isinglass. The *Space Shuttle" was probably just cover for Spy missions. And explains why only 1 of the crew members hasn't been found, and he was the pilot.

[@b3j8]

@@Flat_Earth_101 Thr fact that only one person, me, has responded to your post should tell you just how ridiculous it was.

[@allisonjohnson6399]

The hardest part to watch has always been when the come out to applause and their names announced. They are smiling and waving....true heroes to walk out of those doors, never knowing what would happen so soon after.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

It's very sad to watch.

[@Trainlover1995]

I remember owning this on VHS, which was in a box set compilation of a bunch of NASA films (including films about Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the Shuttle; the final tape was basically an overall history of NASA). What surprises me was how cold it was that day. I went to Florida in December 2006 and July-August 2013 (both times with Disney World in mind, with a visit to KSC in 2006). The temperatures on the 2006 trip were mild and comfortable, with only one big rainstorm. 2013 was another story. It was absolute hell. The temperatures were unbearable and may have made me sick, and the thunderstorms were severe (we were trapped in the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot one night, where I learned of one of the biggest atrocities ever committed on Adventure Time). The upside of the 2013 trip? It desensitized me to thunderstorms at long last. So yeah, it's hot or mild in Florida. But cold? Unheard of for me!

[@fanboysreign]

I had that set too!

[@adams1458]

I had the same VHS - I loved this tape, I was like 12

[@blaze_0077]

That's Climate Change for you.

[@lindaterrell6104]

Blaze_007 Actually, cold snaps even freezes were common in Florida in December and January. Climate change has wrought mild winters. We rarely see that kind of cold anymore.

[@F-Man]

Oh yeah, I had that VHS set too! Really cool to see many of those up on KZbin now - I just about destroyed each one of those tapes back in the day; easily watched them 50 + times lol

[@dukehotty]

I barely remember this on live TV. What I do remember is my elementary school teacher completely losing her shit...

[@cymrych79]

Same here. I was in 2nd grade at the time, and we did have a TV rolled into the room for the launch. My teacher had been talking about this launch for weeks; she was from a town in NH near McAuliffe's hometown. I remember watching it clearly, until about 3 minutes after the incident and it was clear there was "obviously a major malfunction." Then, all I remember was Mrs. Gaucher hauling ass to the front of the room to turn off the TV, and her having a 10 minute conversation in the hallway with several other teachers.

[@lmfao7558]

We were getting ready to go to class. I yelled to my friends to hurry and then I said - oh no, I think it exploded. It was sad.

[@AnDrEeViCh812]

Ужас.. Вечная память погибшим астронавтам🕯

[@MichaelRyanUK]

These individuals were truly brilliant in there chosen fields and to think of how long and hard they worked to reach this level of opportunity only to die as they did is beyond tragic!, remember it like yesterday 🙏

[@nashvillebadger]

The crew cabin remained intact after the explosion. Several of the crew members had activated their emergency oxygen masks. Unfortunately, they were probably conscious until they hit the water.

[@fendergibs]

It wasn’t an explosion it disintegrated based on sheer dynamics

[@tonycornwill9008]

are you fucking serious,how could anyone survive that,they were in a motel room you stupid prick

[@jasone4460]

Bermsy Fructa Google your question and get the answer. Most experts think they survived the explosion because of the evidence they found.

[@miked1355]

I don't know why people are arguing against this. It's a fact when the crew cabin was recovered, it was 3 PEAP devices were noted as activated.

[@sigurdkaputnik7022]

@@tonycornwill9008 There is no need for that kind of language. If you would have paid better attention, it is mentioned (at 32:10) that the crew compartment stayed intact after the breakup of the orbiter. Every documentation about the challenger desaster points that out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6LGlZJpmcaDh5o It is also said, that there was no explosion (31:28) but a massive combustion of fuel. Hurling insults only reveals your lack of comprehension. Next time think before you comment!

[@livininmexico3811]

When this happened I was 19 and I worked in residential painting. We were painting the exterior of a residence and I had brought along my small black and white portable tv to watch this. The main reason I was SO exicted to see this was because it was the first woman to fly in a space shuttle and especially that she was a civilian. A teacher! And I freaked out and was so speechless when this happened. I yelled to my friends, the other painters, to come over quick. I was speechless as I mentioned. I just pointed to my little tv on the grass and kept saying, ''Damn!'' ''Damn!'' I was really overcome with horror and sadness at the same time. I will never forget it.

[@davegilbertson4907]

At the Rogers Commission hearing Neil Armstrong commented that back when he was strapped to the rocket NASA planned for the worst and prepared to handle it. He said when the shuttle came along NASA lost their way. They expected the best to happen subsequently were not prepared to handle the worst.

[@999124999]

Brave astronauts, RIP

[@AlonsoRules]

They should never have launched, but they had to get the teacher up or congress would withdraw funding. It was also the State of the Union speech that night and having the teacher up would allow the President to talk about it.

[@toothpaste3625]

Anthony Kernich It was all because of Lawrence Malloy

[@Cinicraft00]

The Shuttle was a downgrade from rockets. It’s a plane awkwardly attached to a giant explosive tank. It was never a safe design to begin with that only looked cheaper for being “reusable”

[@adamanderson3042]

@@Cinicraft00 You can't blame them for trying, back then that was the only way they could get reusability. Rocket scientists for years thought that SpaceX style propulsive landings were pretty much impossible until the 90s and even in the 90s no one could do it at orbital velocity from orbit.

[@michaeladcox2507]

Was a fake hoax.

[@tommybruner01]

@@michaeladcox2507 The biggest mistake Stanley Kubrick made in the movie 2001 was giving the apes enough intelligence to operate computer keyboards, which is evidenced by your comment.

[@jbobbster]

And despite the poor decision to launch in the first place, the Challenger could have survived if it weren't for the wind shear that shattered the temporary oxide shield that had formed in place of the damaged O-rings on the SRB and allowed the flame to rush through.

[@AaronTheA]

When Dick Scobee told his wife the night before that they weren't going to launch due to the cold. Then calling her in the morning telling her that they were launching after all. She said he sounded surprised but resolute. He didn't realize that decision was solely based on certain higher ups not wanting to be embarrassed by delaying the launch. They thought only of themselves and their status. I hope they were haunted every day since then. RIP

[@Ralphie_Boy]

*Remembered live on t.v., yelled out to my girlfriend "Hey The Shuttle Just Exploded" I'll never forget!* 😢

[@gurpreet3878]

Omg 😔😪

[@Ralphie_Boy]

@@gurpreet3878 😥

[@gurpreet3878]

@@Ralphie_Boy very sorry my brother 😥😢😰

[@Ralphie_Boy]

@@gurpreet3878 😷👍🏻

[@danbruno5945]

Made me cry seeing some of the parents to these crew watching in the crowd

[@tremorist]

Best documentary on the topic. Thank you, AIRBOYD.

[@theslug1022]

Based on data, some if not all survived the explosion and either died due to high G's during the fall or hitting the water.

[@bryanhead2670]

Narrator has perfect tone for subject matter!!!

[@kevintennant7701]

All I can say is never forget Roger Boisjoly. He is a pure hero!

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Also Allan J. McDonald. Another hero who warned them not to launch in below freezing temperatures.

[@anthonywhite6289]

RIP to the challenger crew 😥❤

[@ghost27rsr]

i wish i could go back in time and tell them watever you do dont go on that space ship i will xplode but i cant and i watched this for a few and it made me so sad in heart :{

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

65mill people die every year

[@bluumish]

they all still alive...research

[@andrewazariah8356]

Good that the STS program has been discontinued. Scores of things could go wrong in a shuttle mission. Two disasters is regretable. Thank God there weren't any more.

[@InvaderSkat]

oh my god.... I'm speechless by how horrible this is RIP those who died in the challenger god bless their families ;-;

[@wlhardy]

It’s so sad to watch these astronauts and know they were going to die shortly after takeoff. This accident set the space program back years and it was avoidable, but NASA didn’t want to listen to the advice of the Morton-Thiokol engineers that the launch should be delayed (again) because the weather was still too cold. President Reagan also put the pressure on for the launch because he wanted to talk about the success of the mission during his State of the Union speech that evening-which obviously didn’t happen. This was a big deal because of Christa MacAuliffe(?), who was chosen to be the first teacher in space among thousands of entries. A very sad day and I remember it very well, very sad and eerie to see this....

[@Teriander]

Almost all aircraft can exceed it's maximum normal thrust limit. Normally up to 105%. But they are usually only allowed for a short period of time because the excess thrust can damage the aircraft. For example, Military aircraft can go into "After Burn" which is the same as 101-105% of Military Power.

[@kindbluey]

Thankyou for uploading this Documentary on the Detailed Analysis of this Devastating Explosion.........

[@jose000]

Hello it's 2020

[@twink3448]

jos john ten years late

[@airboyd]

Skip to 15:04 to pass by the accident footage

[@daletiger35]

The last words anyone heard Christa McAuliffe Utter were good morning.

[@RWBHere]

She probably said quite a few other things to her crewmates before the launch.

[@bootssocks9016]

They said other things that this post that we can't see .like the fear and the screams on board .my heart is still hurt behind NASA bull crap and they wear warned they only thought of there victory and reputation. Til this Dad I hope they are tossing and turning in there own selfishness

[@scottaznavourian5791]

Well she then said 'i hope so too' in regard to 'i hope we go today' and later responded to a com check

[@sideering370]

@@bootssocks9016 I take it English isn't your strong point

[@angelal4484]

@@bootssocks9016 the crew had no idea that anything was wrong. I am not really sure what screams you are referring to..you can watch the full launch here on youtube, uncut. The sad part is the explosion did not kill them. It is even sadder that NASA allowed this as not even airplanes will fly with ice involved yet rocket scientists would..that's the sad part...their lives clearly were not important enough to postpone the mission again.

[@pefernandez1982]

Imagine how the people in the white room who last saw them alive feel....

[@janestucker1020]

I’m glad they can’t see how awful this world has gotten since their gallant sacrifices.

[@forsakenoutcast]

After all that no mention of or photos of the crew cabin. They mentioned everything else.

[@Medicranger]

34:00

[@lmfao7558]

It’s part of the cover up.

[@yinan02]

I think NASA purposely made the voice so robotic cause of how correct they were to not launch.

[@martiwoodchip4518]

The solid rocket boosters were certainly not designed very well especially considering that they were to be reused many times. It is a shame that the money and extra work was put into a very dependable parachute system to assure their reuse and not into the actual design so that this would not happen. Rubber o-rings in greased grooves sounds like something that you would find inside my locking hubs on the front wheels of my 4-WD F-250 and not on such a high tech machine that peoples lives are dependent on working flawlessly. Morton Thiokel built those things and they knew that it was not a great design. It should have been redesigned as soon as they became aware of problems and not after 7 people had to lose their lives. Very sad, sad indeed. This happened the day after my 22 birthday 1/27/64.

[@SubparArt]

The thing is, in ALL forms of big ticket risk/reward items in ALL categories.. particularly aerospace and aviation... just because there is a known problem, never instigates a resolution... it ALWAYS.. in almost EVERY single case, requires death to warant spending the capitol on changes. Its asinine.. particularly in commercial aviation.. where you are risking more than just the volunteers lives.. never the less that is the world we live in. =/ pricy problems are only forced into the "fix me" list once there have been sufficient death to warrant the repair. And even then the only reason they are added to the fix me list is due to the fact that the plublic has a close eye on aerospace and aviation crashes in general... if we didnt watch so closely, the people that spend the money would not spend it nearly as often :P

[@Guzunderstrop]

pyrite1978 They call this 'tombstone technology'. Another good example concerned the design of the cargo bay doors of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. See 'Aircrash investigation: Behind closed doors'. One plane had to crash land (no-one died), and the company made superficial changes. Another plane crashed for exactly the same reason, this time killing 346 people. Only then were the door latches redesigned.

[@SubparArt]

Gilbert Evans yup.. another reason I wanna move to another planet! :P

[@RWBHere]

pyrite1978, the Catch 22 is that, to go to another planet, you'll have to use a -barely controlled explosive device- rocket at the start and end of the journey.

[@ericv8319]

The solid rocket boosters were designed extremely well, thousands of hours of research, study and experimentation developed a system that proved highly reliable, please do not blame the engineers for mistakes made by other agencies.

[@DKrueger1994]

The engineers were right. There was no way in Hell you would launch up a multi-million dollar shuttle stack with the flaw of a brittle o-ring in freezing conditions. There should be a day where the workmen in the jeans, boots, shirts, and tools point to the men in the suit and ties and say "this is not recommended! Either listen to us or face the consequences."

[@CC3GROUNDZERO]

_"Why did they have to die like that?!"_ - Well, this is exactly what happens when public programs are run like corporations. NASA made a purely PR-based decision, namely to launch despite conditions far outside the specifications because they wanted to avoid public discussion about the costs of the shuttle program. And they repeated pretty much the exact same thing with the Columbia disaster, when they decided against having the crew examine the potential impact damage in space, and therefore also against rescuing them (which would have been possible since another shuttle was far along preparations at the time). At the end of the day, it was about money. They deliberately put the astronauts' lives at risk, and they did it all for money.

[@yinan02]

l well the engineers said to abort the launch. But those businessmen wanted it done.

[@nuancolar7304]

When it stops being about money, that's when you'll see the end of the space program. That's just the way it is.

[@peterbustin2683]

Morton Thiokal didn't produce any temperature data of any kind with regard to effects on the field joints. They were just assuming there would be problems on what was shakey experience of a previous launch. Hardly criteria for reasoning a no launch position. Columbia was a different event. NASA decided against using satellites that could have taken pictures of the wing damage, and there was damage, for appraisal. A disgraceful event with no excuses.

[@AlonsoRules]

The Shuttle Program was not in the public eye at the time. None of the Big 3 TV networks broadcast the launch live. The only one was a small local LA network. They had to get the teacher up because it was the State of the Union speech that night.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

@@peterbustin2683 The Columbia astronauts didn't have the materials to repair a large briefcase sized hole in the wing. So how would a satellite taking a picture help? And they didn't have another shuttle ready. They never had more than one ready at a time. A rescue shuttle would have taken weeks to prepare for launch.

[@xuliang2121]

The pressure from politics was even higher than the pressure in the tank, then it broke the oring.

[@jacksonmarshallkramer5087]

Boeing didn't want to listen to their engineers when they were telling them the MAX was a time bomb because of the undisclosed MCAS system.

[@rj1982ii]

Why wasn't anyone charged with murder. NASA knew there as a high risk of something going wrong, but they ignored it. If this isn't a good case for murder I don't know what is.

[@corettaha7855]

rj1982ii that’s negligent homicide at best, and you’d have to show that human fallibility was beyond the normal. Sorry you don’t get to ruin lives to make yourself feel vindicated every time a mishap occurs in life. I bet you couldn’t have done better by any stretch.

[@supernova6486]

It was not an accident as an accident by definition is (1. an event that happens by chance or that is without apparent or deliberate cause. 2. an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.) The warnings of not one but two of their expert SRB engineers where ignored right up to the night before launch when everyone at the meeting was asked to take off their engineering hats and put on their management hats and even then they where shoved aside for management and or corporate greed and two of them refused to sign a go for launch order. Similar management issues occur again with shuttle Columbia only on re-entry in which management of NASA came under fire again for failing to learn most of the lessons of the challenger disaster by intentional suppression of the concerns or opinions of the expert engineers. Richard Feynman said it best in a CNN interview NASA and its engineers are like a parent and a child where the child was NASA management that went and ran into the middle of road to play and the Parent the engineers saying don't do that it's dangerous. But the child does not listen and they continue to what they had done before because in short the child (NASA) is under the belief that if nothing happened before (on previous flights) its never going to happen. "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." Richard Fenyman Died 1988 RIP

[@RWBHere]

The interview with Feynman sterts at 28:56 in this video: /watch?v=2TtGySL2WLw

[@corettaha7855]

SuperNova64 unless someone deliberately had it in for these seven in particular I’m gonna go with mishap, misadventure, and yes accident

[@Cinicraft00]

SuperNova64 The shuttle as a whole was an incredibly unsafe design where accidents were always just waiting to happen.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

@@Cinicraft00 The space shuttle was an expensive dangerous failure that killed 14 people in two disasters. Now what remains of the old dinosaurs are in museums where they belong.

[@TjtsAndroid]

Поражает то что за несколько секунд такая махина разлетелась

[@jrockett73]

Yes, the were not unconsious right away. But they are trained to flip that switch in an emergency first before anything else. The loss of pressure and the spinning of the crew module certainly would render them unconsious very soon. Why would Story Musgrave be angry about this?

[@OdiusTV]

Actually the engineers expressed their concerns and had proof to show that the conditions could result of the O rings failing. The company they worked for was about to inform NASA but basically a last minute decision resulted with them saying that their results were inconclusive and no objections were heard by NASA, so they proceeded of launching the 51-L.

[@mdaddy775]

I like how this gets straight to the point!

[@willibill1]

I remember that day just like it was yesterday, I was working my way through traid school, delivering news papers was one of my jobs, I delivered to a lot of business places, plus a few homes, the paper that day was over one hour late, so they could get the story into the afternoon paper, several people were standing their waiting for me to get their with the paper, with the bad news in it, I keept thinking of the song, American pie, Bad news on the door step, yup, that was a day I will always remember.

[@raymondhayes3438]

I cannot believe that so called rocket scientists and engineers were unable to realise that if you put rubber rings between two joints in freezing conditions, the rubber is going to get hard, and fail to do the job their designed to do. Anyone whose had a car with a power steering box will know that it will leak oil in cold weather through the rubber seals, until the car has been driven for a while, so the steering box has had a chance to warmed up and make the rubber supple enough to do their job. It's not a big problem in a car, unlike a rocket engine!.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

The engineers knew it and told NASA not to launch. But NASA ignored them.

[@vooodu1]

that was incredibly enlightening..glad I took the time to watch.

[@CatalinElton]

Those pale blue overalls the crew were wearing were in tone with the clear blue January sky that day....

[@seventhflatfive]

Airboyd, your channel is one of the best on KZbin. Greets!

[@stevenmiller1416]

I don't even consider this to be a accident. A accident is a unforseen event which this wasn't. They knew there was a possibility of this happening. This was criminal on the part of NASA.

[@kbanghart]

It's so sad that deviations were gradually allowed that increased risk... for example original design specs stated the ET was not to shed foam or other debris; therefore, strikes upon the vehicle were safety issues that needed to be resolved before a launch was cleared. Launches were often given the go-ahead b/c they were seen as inevitable and unresolvable, with the rationale that they were not a threat to safety, or an acceptable risk. majority of shuttle launches recorded such foam strikes.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

The Columbia was destroyed by a foam strike.

[@kbanghart]

@@SymphonyBrahms correct. And, wow, 10-year-old comment! I was shocked when I started reading and found out that foam strikes were actually occurring from the very first launches.

[@dpvious]

Due to side boosters there was a leak and ignited the whole STS-107

[@StarshipTrooper]

This is STS 51-L , not STS 107

[@scottaznavourian5791]

6:24 resnik and onizuka first flights nearly ended in disater. There was a launch pad fire on judys first flight (launch aborted) that if they walked the wrong way iff the oad they would have burned tio death. Ellisons first flight, exactly a year before challenger, was a time the o rings almost failed

[@Flat_Earth_101]

Is Resnik still alive? You haven't seen the videos showing them to be alive? Here's one showing what appears to be her. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoWth5uahdl4oac Look into Project Isinglass. The *Space Shuttle" was probably just cover for Spy missions. And explains why only 1 of the crew members hasn't been found, and he was the pilot.

[@MoooStasHeo]

i was not born when this happend but i can just imagine being one of the students seeing your teacher pass

[@Bradyjr2]

@ILSRWY4 The space shuttle solid rocket boosters were deigned to be throttled through the use of dynamic propellant geometry. For example, the pattern in the middle of the boosters, which aids in ignition, is not circular, but shaped like an 11 point star. This significantly increases propellant burn rates, therefore increasing thrust. The boosters were designed to throttle down before max q (the maximum forces the vehicle experienced during launch) at the same time as the main engines, by altering the propellant ratio (not really sure how they do it). After the vehicle is super sonic, the propellant ratio is alter again to increase thrust. All of this tweaking was done months in advanced, by putting slightly different propellant mixtures into different horizontal layers of the booster. But you are correct on the point that the boosters can not be controlled in real time, and there's no stopping them once they've started.

[@chemiker494]

Yes, I remember the first Space Shuttle launch as a 10 year old. And back then, there were fears that the heat shield would not stand to the stress during launch, and the orbiter would burn up during reentry. But only a few tiles got loose, and everything went well. And on the second launch in November that year, an o-ring failed at the SRB, but the forming slag plugged up thehole, and nothing bad happened this time neither. But sooner or later, you run out of luck