The Challenger Explosion: People Share Memories of Watching the Space Shuttle Disaster Live

Erin Maxwell January 27, 2026, 5:20 pm

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL - JANUARY 28: (FILE PHOTO) The booster rockets from the Space Shuttle Challenger fly off after the shuttle exploded after lift off January 28, 1986 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The Challenger and its seven member crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images) — NASA/Getty Images

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On January 28, 1986, the country witnessed a national tragedy when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who had been selected for a new civilian-in-space program.

Millions of Americans — especially schoolchildren watching live — watched the horror as the shuttle exploded on television. As a result, the explosion remains one of the most defining and traumatic live-broadcast tragedies in U.S. history.

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