Did they find all the bodies from the Challenger?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said today that it had recovered remains of each of the seven Challenger astronauts and had finished its operations to retrieve the wreckage of the space shuttle’s crew compartment from the ocean floor.
How long did the Challenger astronauts alive after the explosion?
The seven crew members of the space shuttle Challenger probably remained conscious for at least 10 seconds after the disastrous Jan. 28 explosion and they switched on at least three emergency breathing packs, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Monday.
Did families of Challenger sue NASA?
NASA since has helped indemnify defense contractors in such lawsuits. The wife of Challenger pilot Michael Smith sued NASA in 1987. But a federal judge in Orlando threw out the case, ruling that Smith, a Navy officer, died in the line of duty. She later settled directly with Morton Thiokol, as did the other families.
What caused Challenger explosion?
What caused the Challenger explosion? The space shuttle broke apart because gasses in the external fuel tank mixed, exploded and tore the space shuttle apart. The external fuel tank exploded after the right solid rocket booster came loose and ruptured the tank. Because a seal around the O-ring (a piece of the rocket boosters) failed.
Why did the Challenger space shuttle explode?
Why Did The Challenger Explode? The disaster was caused by the failure of the two redundant O-ring seals in a joint in the Space Shuttle’s right solid rocket booster (SRB). The record-low temperatures of the launch reduced the elasticity of the rubber O-rings, reducing their ability to seal the joints.
How high was the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded?
Within milliseconds there was massive, almost explosive, burning of the hydrogen streaming from the failed tank bottom and the liquid oxygen breach in the area of the intertank. At this point in its trajectory, while traveling at a Mach number of 1.92 at an altitude of 46,000 feet, the Challenger was totally enveloped in the explosive burn.
What caused the crash of the Space Shuttle Challenger?
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take-off in January 1986. Subsequent investigation determined that the cause was failure of the O-ring seals used to isolate the fuel supply from burning gases.